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Election office expands outreach: bus ads, streaming spots and review of USPS postmark change
Summary
The election administrator outlined expanded outreach — bus ads, podcasts, streaming and increased radio — added communications staffing, a voter registration push in high schools, and staff noted USPS postmarking changes that underscore drop-box and in-person options.
The Anchorage Municipality election office told commissioners it will broaden outreach ahead of upcoming elections, citing new advertising channels and staffing changes.
Election Administrator Liz Edwards said the office added communications duties to an election assistant role and plans bus advertisements on main routes, experiments with podcast and streaming ads, and more radio spots to reach voters who do not read newspapers or watch TV. "So we'll be having bus advertisement... we're also gonna explore advertising on podcasts as well as potentially other streaming services," Edwards said.
Edwards said staff will continue civic-engagement events and help a voter-registration drive in high schools; the district manages the drive while the election office provides assistance.
The administrator also called attention to a USPS process change that could affect when postmarks are applied. "USPS announced that they're changing how postmarks are handled and that items are not being postmarked until they get to the regional sorting facility," Edwards said, adding that staff will continue to advise voters to request manual postmarks at the post office or to use drop boxes and in-person return options.
Commissioners discussed changing the election center caller ID to show 'MOA elections' to improve answer rates for voter outreach calls and asked staff to follow up with municipal IT. They also asked staff to provide consistent talking points for media appearances so commissioners can reinforce the same messages when interviewed.
Edwards reported that staff forwarded 11 ballots that appeared to have been voted by someone other than the voter to the Anchorage Police Department for investigation, as the commission previously directed.
No formal action was taken on advertising at the meeting beyond direction to staff to proceed with expanded outreach and coordinate talking points with commissioners.
