A host of laws to make voting easier would benefit Independent, Republican, and Democratic constituents.

Conventional political wisdom says that laws to make voting more convenient help Democrats, but not Republicans. That doesn't appear to be the case in Alaska, where voters across the political spectrum would stand to benefit from policies that smooth the way to casting their ballots.

Why does this matter? Because the Alaska legislature can still mobilize to get a big voter access bill over the line in 2024, after two consecutive years of attempts. But the sticky false narrative of how it would help the left and not the right blocks passage of these common-sense voter laws.

The truth is that in Alaska, registered Republicans, Democrats, and especially independent voters could all stand to gain from pro-voter laws like same-day registration and a cure process for mailed ballots. Similarly, at the federal level, more reliable mail service would help all voters across the political spectrum (and not just during elections).

For the third year in a row, lawmakers in Juneau have the legislation before them to make it happen.

ALASKA HAS A HISTORY OF MIDDLING VOTER TURNOUT

In Alaska's most recent six elections, statewide voter turnout ranged from a low of 17 percent in the 2016 primary election to a peak of 68 percent in the 2020 general election. If voter participation statewide were graded using the Anchorage School District system, the report card would say "N" for "Needs Improvement."

Several factors contribute to patterns in turnout:

Public awareness of high-profile campaigns: High-profile contests, particularly the US presidency (starred on the chart below), motivate voters to go the polls, causing peaks during presidential election years and troughs at the midterms.

General versus primary elections: More voters show up for general elections, when their votes will lead directly to a decision about who is elected, as opposed to primary elections, which narrow the candidate field but don't produce a winner.

Lead time for voters and officials: Special elections often have the lowest turnout because the date isn't set until a few weeks before the election. Election officials have less time to publicize information about the election, and voters have less time to plan when, where, and how they'll vote. Alaska had one special election in 2022 to choose a replacement for U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died in office after representing Alaska in Congress for 49 years. The special primary occurred in June 2022. The special general election was on the same ballot as the regular primary election in 2022.

Voter profile: More experienced voters tend to pay more attention to the timing of elections and are more likely to vote. For that reason, special election voters tend to be more politically active and older than the average registered voter in the same district.

Aside from the factors listed above, turnout in individual elections can vary significantly for other reasons. On one hand, turnout could go up if the election were conducted fully by mail (indicated by white dots on the chart above), improving convenience for voters, or if a candidate or contest received a lot of media coverage and inspired more voters to come out. On the other hand, turnout could go down if the only statewide office on the ballot one year had a popular incumbent running uncontested, so voters didn't feel the need to show up, or if candidates discouraged voters from participating.

Case study: The 2022 midterm election

Consider 2022, a midterm year when the absence of a high-profile presidential contest means fewer voters typically participate. That year, Alaska posted strong turnout for the primary and slightly lower than usual turnout for the general election. Attributing turnout numbers to any one factor would be a huge mistake, but listing the factors that might have played a role is kind of fun.

In 2022, Alaska's electoral landscape underwent dramatic changes ...