Mail-In Ballots And Moms For Liberty Candidates - Anchorage Elections

This was going to be a quick post just showing that we got our mail-in ballots for the Anchorage election coming up April 2, 2024.  

But then it got more complicated when I started writing about the School Board candidates challenging the three incumbents.  Two of them are Moms for Liberty candidates.  I had indications and an allegation of this in yesterday's draft.  But I got a bit more evidence today.  So keep scrolling down and do check the Moms for Liberty link which takes you to the Southern Poverty Law Offices listing of Moms for Liberty.  

These candidates have won elections because they hide their real objectives until they get elected.  Instead they spout generalities that we're all in favor of.  That's why I decided to make this more than simply a post on the ways to get your mail-in ballot in to election central to be counted.  

The Municipality of Anchorage moved to mail-in elections several years ago.  Basically that means that ballots are mailed to all registered voters about three weeks before the election and that on election day there aren't 100 or more polling places all over the Municipality where people can vote.

BUT, if you don't want to figure out and pay for postage, there are lots of drop boxes around town where you can take your ballot.  

And if you want to actually vote in a voting booth, there are places for that too - at City Hall, Loussac Library, or the Eagle River Town Center.

If you want more information, go to the Municipal Election website.  

School Board Alert

I'm trying to think back to how often I've actually recommended candidates on this blog.  My sense is that it's not normal, but that in times when I felt strongly, I probably have.  Or maybe I just did blog posts about candidates which gave factual information that made clear my preferences. 

We are in extremely perilous times in 2024.  Nationally, the Republican candidate for president has done so many things to signal that he will use the office of president to further his personal interests and abandon the Constitution.  He already tried, ineptly, the first time round, but he'll be better prepared the second time.  If you haven't looked at Project 2025  (you can start with the policy agenda, but every item is a blueprint for an authoritarian dictatorship), then you should, and share it with everyone you know.

But this is a Municipal election, so I won't dwell on national issues yet.  Except to say that the Republicans not only had a 30 year plan to take over the Supreme Court - which they have now accomplished - but also to take over state and local legislative bodies, including school boards.  

Are they doing that in Anchorage?  It appears so.

 Moms for Liberty has officially had their first meeting in Anchorage and has at least two school board members in Mat-Su.  

These candidates are not making it easy for people to see what they stand for.  

While I can't verify [actually, while writing this I did get verification, see below] that the candidates opposing the three incumbents are from Moms for Liberty, there are indications that one or more are.  But that's how they get elected - by speaking in generalities at forums and then when they get elected they push book banning and LGBTQ+ bashing, and erasing Blacks from history lessons.

There are three incumbents running for school board.  They all showed up for the Alaska Black Caucus candidate forum.  Only one of the challengers - Angela Frank - was there.  Frank answered a number of questions with "I don't know" and expressions of cluelessness on her face.  But I admire her for showing up and putting herself through this.  

The other two challengers - Chelsea Pohland and Kay Schuster - didn't show up before this audience at all.  You can also see, in the video below, that the three incumbents didn't answer in platitudes and generalities.  They answered in detailed specifics about programs, with numbers, and with programs they want to keep improving.  

Are the three challengers MAGA and Moms for Liberty?  It does appear that Chelsea Pohland and Kay Schuster are, at least, in agreement with Moms for Liberty ideas.

In terms of what they say about themselves, it's hard to tell.  Chelsea Pohland has a Facebook page for her campaign.  It doesn't really tell us what she's for, but it does have 

• pictures of her with Mayor Dave Bronson and fellow candidate challenger Kay Schuster
• fundraiser announcements which include Jamie Allard and Dave Stieren among the sponsors

The FB page also had a link to a campaign website (which I couldn't find via Google) which offers general platitudes that tell us nothing about her actual values or the programs she'd push for:

"My vision for the Anchorage School Board is built on a commitment to excellence, inclusivity, innovation, and transparency. I aim to bring my experience as a business owner and a community leader to bring together a collaborative approach to decision making, ensuring that our schools are equipped to offer every child a chance to thrive in an ever changing world. 

As we look to the future, my message and drive is clear, to be a champion to the cause of education in Anchorage with passion, integrity, and a solid foundation built on transparency. I am here to serve as a voice for our children, our families, and our community, advocating for a brighter, more inclusive future for all."

Inclusivity, transparency, and collaboration are NOT how Jamie Allard (a Pohland supporter) has operated as a State legislator.  

And here it is from an Anchorage Daily News story that was posted online a few hours ago:

"Two of the challengers — Pohland and Schuster — are supported by some prominent local conservatives, and Pohland said she is a member of Moms for Liberty, a national nonprofit focused on “parental rights” that has vowed to get more candidates onto school boards nationwide."

(I'd note that Governor Dunleavy has cited Parental Rights at least since 2015. See this post I wrote about his attempt to sabotage Erin's Law (a bill to require kids get taught how to avoid being victims of child abusers).  Dunleavy constantly cited parental rights as his reasons and that's when I discovered there was a national organization with that name whose goal is to move public money to spend on private schools. Knowing that helps one understand his continued cuts to public schools and his strong support of charter schools.) 

 I did have other such indicators that I had already in this post:

Anchorage needs well prepared school board members who will work for all students and not a MAGA / Moms for Liberty agenda. Chelsea Pohland has been endorsed by Jamie Allard, who has locked down the Ed Committee for the past 2 weeks and she received a donation from Judy Eledge pic.twitter.com/NGqI1JVOoU

— Alaska998 (@seinerak) March 11, 2024

And here's Blue Alaskan's post about Pohland supporter Jamie Allard.

So, I'm posting this information while people are just getting their mail-in ballots so that they know that:

• one of the challengers (Chelsea Pohland) has said she was a member of Moms for Liberty
• another's campaign (Kay Schuster) is closely aligned with Pohland's campaign 
• the third challenger (Angela Frank) really knows nothing about the school board based on her answers at the Black Caucus candidate forum (see video above), and she's supported by someone who supports the other two challengers. 

I thought I could add the Mayor's race in here too, but this got much longer than I expected.  (That happens often enough that probably I should start expecting it.)

Other Links about Moms for Liberty

• Wikipedia
• New Republic: Moms for Liberty Is Slowly Imploding, and That’s Bad for MAGA in 2024
• AP:  Moms for Liberty reports over $2 million in revenue, with bulk of contributions from two donors
• Wired:  Moms for Liberty Is Tearing Itself Apart

Great Anchorage Student Art At Museum

 This was the 50th year of the Anchorage Student Art Exhibit in the Anchorage Museum.  These exhibits are always a delight.  So much talent and originality.  I snapped pictures here and there that called out to me - but there was so much more than this.  Enjoy.  Go see these and more in person at the museum.   These are in no particular order.  They are higher resolution than normal so you should be able to click on them to enlarge.  

Anna McIllece "Peggy"  Grade 12

Anna Skaggs "Jeffery Heath" Grade 8

Brooke Harkleroad Grade 10  (Photo)

Collin Keith "Camouflaged" Grade 6

Jennie Becker  "Dog Collage"  Grade 8

Madison Griffin "Dragon" Grade 12

Majo Hernandez Zamora "Grasshopper"  Grade 4

Samantha Farren  (Acrylic) Grade 10

Sophia Fenoseff  "My Most Important People"
Grade 10

Claire O'Leary "Skyscraper with a Can" Grade 11

Gabriella Garcia "Sad Bubbles"  Grade 11

Gracelynn McCotter "Soul Seeker"  Grade 6

Kiana Reed "Girl at Midnight" Grade 6

Lauren Gaskill  "Wallflowers" (ceramic) Grade 11

Melody Lankford "Self Portrait"  (oil) Grade 10

Mercedi Lee "Nature's Rain" Grade 10

Michelle Harris "The Honey Gears" Grade 12

Naly Yang "Shiny" (oil pastel) Grade 12

Noelle Larsen "Covid" Grade 6

Sawyer Brock  "Dragon" (Collage) Grade 4

Sophia James "Wonderland Bus"  Grade 7

Thanks to all the students who shared their imaginations with everyone and to the Museum for giving them a place to do it.  If anyone does NOT want their picture up, email me (address upper right column).  

Early Results Of Anchorage Election - We'll See later How Many In The Lead Now End Up There [UPDATED]

[UPDATE: Wednesday April 7, 2021 8:30am: I have only been able to get the original early results marked as 8:42pm. I tired various times last night and again this morning.  No changes.  I just talked to Brandy (Brandi?) at the Municipal Clerk's office.  She told me those are the only results so far.  They are working on them and probably will have an update tonight. (In the past there were regular updates as the ballots came in.  That didn't happen this time.)  Brandy also told me that if you want to be alerted when the numbers are updated, you can text "Start" to 907 312 1012.]

 Early Anchorage election results from the Municipal Election page:

Mayor:

EVANS, Bill		999
SWANK, Albert L., Jr.		36
MARTINEZ, George		321
MOMIN, Reza		12
FALSEY, Bill		1,281
HERNDON, Heather		91
ANTHONY, Anna		63
BRONSON, David		3,116
BROWN, Jeffrey		33
VERSTEEG, Jacob		11
ROBBINS, Mike		745
DUNBAR, Forrest		3,701
COLBRY, Darin		8
WESTFALL, Joe		12
KERN, Jacob Seth		9
Total Votes		10,438

Rivera Recall

Candidate	Party	Total
YES		638
NO		939
Total Votes		1,577

School Board B

SCHOOL BOARD SEAT B (1-YEAR TERM) (Vote for 1)

Precincts Reported: 0 of 123 (0.00%)

	Total
Times Cast	10,606 / 236,619	4.48%

Candidate	Party	Total
ELEDGE, Judy Norton		3,376
STEWART, Marilyn		1,173
COX, Mark Anthony		1,081
LESSENS, Kelly		3,699
Total Votes		9,329

		Total
Unresolved Write-In		80

School Board E

Times Cast

10,606 / 236,619

4.48%

Candidate	Party	Total
HIGGINS, Pat		3,264
HILDE, Alisha		1,264
BLATCHFORD, Edgar		830
BLAKESLEE, Rachel		906
GRAHAM, Sami		2,692
WILLIAMS, Nial Sherwood		360
Total Votes		9,316

		Total
Unresolved Write-In		79

School Board F

Precincts Reported: 0 of 123 (0.00%)

	Total
Times Cast	10,606 / 236,619	4.48%

Candidate	Party	Total
SANDERS, Marcus		1,463
PAULSON, Kim		2,888
LORING, Dan		539
WILSON, Dora		4,260
Total Votes		9,150

		Total
Unresolved Write-In		85

School Board G

	Total
Times Cast	10,606 / 236,619	4.48%

Candidate	Party	Total
VAKALIS, Elisa		4,166
JACOBS, Carl		4,726
Total Votes		8,892

		Total
Unresolved Write-In		174

You can check here till all the ballots are in.

Mask Murderers? And Another Misleading Headline On Race Relations

1.  Virus Notes

Yes, it's a paradox - the more you shut things down, the more it hurts the economy, but then the less you shut things down, the higher the cases go, and that hurts the economy too.  So, accept the economy is going to take a big hit.  If most people wear masks in public, we could open sooner.  Now, will that be with a few deaths or with lots of deaths?  That's the decision.  It's not the economy this time, it's the virus, stupid!

Since I wrote that note here a few days ago I ran across an article  From University of California San Francisco:

"The latest forecast from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that 33,000 deaths could be avoided by October 1 if 95 percent of people wore masks in public."

 

 30,000 deaths!!??  Dare I call those not wearing masks in public - Mask Murderers?  It almost works, though unmasked murderers would probably be more accurate.  

And if you think there are hardcore folks who won't wear masks, because they won't give up their constitutional rights, wait until you tell parents they have to send their kids to schools that aren't COVID-19 safe.  But DeVos is all about destroying public schools and transferring public school funds to private schools.  This move by the president bleeds money from public schools, and gives Republicans new ways to point at how bad public schools are.  But I think the president's dementia is so obvious to so many people now that it will backfire.


2.  Misleading Headlines  - in March 2019 I put up a post that is still getting regular hits today on Misleading Headlines.  That article goes into the history of misleading headlines.

Well I was struck yesterday by  a very misleading printed LA Times headline, which had a much better headline in the online version.  I've seen that before.  I guess editors have more room online.  I'm not sure how many people actually buy hard copy papers because of headlines any more, but if they do, there is the pressure to make them more compelling still I guess.


The paper headline and first paragraph was:

"Outlooks on race turn gloomier

"Californians’ perceptions of race relations in the state have shifted dramatically since the spring, with views statewide having grown significantly gloomier than they were five months ago, according to a new statewide poll."

Here's screenshot of the paper version:

I read the article, and actually, it's a hopeful article.  Basically, it said that since COVID and George Floyd, people's beliefs about race relations in the US are less positive.  That's not gloomier, which suggests things are getting worse.  But what I took from that was that white people's attitudes got more realistic.  And you have to stop denying before you start changing.  So it's all good.  

When I looked for the link to the online version to put on this post, I found a very different headline - one that mirrored my take on the article:

"Views on race relations in state alter dramatically as more white people see reality of discrimination, survey shows"

NOTE:  I've put up screenshots of the headlines, but I've also repeated them with text.  I do this when I can and it seems important, because seeing-impaired readers can't 'read' images.  the programs that turn text to sound can't read images.