KAKTOVIK, Alaska — In the United States, the right to vote is highly regarded, but for the residents of small, remote Native villages in Alaska, this right is fraught with obstacles.

These isolated communities are often accessed solely by small planes or boats and lack a reliable road system. Consequently, issues with voting services arise frequently. Erratic mail and phone communications, along with adverse weather conditions or illness among workers, can disrupt the electoral process. In some cases, polling places do not function at all due to a shortage of trained election workers or because those hired fail to show up.

As a result, many individuals lose their chance to vote. This situation would likely provoke outrage among voters, politicians, and advocacy groups in more populous states, but it remains largely unnoticed in Alaska.

Recently, reporters visited Kaktovik, one of the villages located above the Arctic Circle, where the polling station did not open for August’s primary elections. Their findings shed light on the difficulties that Alaska Native voters encounter.

One of the primary challenges in this region is the recruitment and retention of poll workers. The Alaska Division of Elections has long struggled with this issue, particularly in Native villages where costs are high and populations are limited. George Kaleak, a community leader in Kaktovik, attributes the shortage to inadequate compensation and poor timing, as the summer primary coincides with hunting and fishing seasons when many community members are away.

Poll workers earn $20 an hour in Alaska, with slightly higher pay for precinct chairs responsible for overseeing polling sites. Workers also face the requirement of committing to a long day, as well as attending mandatory training sessions that can last four to five hours and are compensated. To encourage youth participation, the state has initiated a “youth at the booth” program aimed at engaging older teenagers in the election process.

In Kaktovik, a recent high school graduate named Edwin Solomon is contemplating taking on a role as a poll worker, seeing his involvement in elections as a mark of entering adulthood.

The failure of polling stations to open has repeatedly occurred in rural Alaska. In the recent primary, polling sites in both Wales and Kaktovik were shut down, while others opened later than scheduled. Anaktuvuk Pass saw its polling place ??????????? only about 30 minutes prior to closing, resulting in merely seven voters participating out of 258 registered.

In previous years, other locations like Tununak and Atmautluak did not open due to worker no-shows, while Holy Cross and Venetie faced inadequate staffing yet still allowed absentee voting. Moreover, in both Teller and Nuiqsut, polling stations in the previous general election did not open until late afternoon.

Though absentee voting is permitted in Alaska, once again residents face significant challenges due to inconsistent mail delivery services prevailing in rural areas. While the U.S. Justice Department is charged with enforcing voting rights, it has refrained from commenting on the disruptions in polling across Alaska. However, it has monitored state elections under court order to ensure that Alaska Native voters receive appropriate language support.

With the future of Alaska’s representation at stake, the fight for voting rights gains urgency. Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, the state’s only representative and the first Alaska Native in Congress, is competing against Republican Nick Begich in a pivotal election that could influence control of the House. Peltola enjoys strong support among Alaska Native voters and was recently endorsed by the Alaska Federation of Natives, asserting that the election outcomes could hinge on just a handful of votes.

Efforts to tackle these voting issues are underway, with officials at state, regional, and local levels committed to facilitating participation in the upcoming elections on November 5. Carol Beecher, head of the Alaska Division of Elections, emphasizes her agency’s dedication to ensuring all precincts are staffed and that polling locations open punctually, though finding temporary workers is notably challenging.

Michelle Sparck of the nonprofit Get Out The Native Vote has reported a collaboration that has led to the training of 11 volunteers ready to assist in running elections and willing to travel to remote villages as necessary. Moreover, North Slope Borough officials have expressed their readiness to provide staff support to communities like Kaktovik if the state cannot secure assistance. This borough encompasses an extensive area of tundra that rivals the size of Oregon.