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Anchorage Assembly to certify election results April 28; recount procedures outlined
Summary
The municipal clerk told the Rules Committee the Anchorage Assembly will lay the certification report on the table as item 12A on April 28, swear in new members, and elect chair and vice chair; elections staff said contests within 0.5 percentage points trigger an automatic recount that must be completed within seven days.
The Anchorage Assembly will formally consider certification of municipal election results on April 28 and then swear in new members and hold elections for chair and vice chair, the municipal clerk told the assembly's Rules Committee.
The clerk said the certification will appear as item 12A and that the certification packet contains clerk and commission reports followed by the statement of votes cast. "In accordance with AMC 28.85.040B, if after considering the information, the assembly determines that the election was validly held, the assembly shall certify the results of the election in accordance with the reports of the election commission and municipal clerk," the clerk said.
Why it matters: Certification starts the formal transition for the new assembly and sets the clock for any recounts or contests that could change outcomes. The clerk and elections staff told members they will provide a work-session presentation if the assembly wants more time to review the documents.
Elections staff also explained the automatic recount threshold: "if any contest is within 0.5% half of a percent at certification requiring an automatic recount, a recount will need to be conducted within 7 days and will likely take place on Friday, May 1st," the clerk said. The elections commission would then prepare a recount report and the assembly would reconvene to certify the recount results as soon as practicable.
Committee members asked whether a candidate within the recount margin would be sworn in before the recount is complete. The clerk and attorneys said procedures depend on counsel and the specifics of the contest and that, in some cases, items may be bifurcated so uncontested races are certified while contested questions are handled separately.
The committee also scheduled training for new members on dais computers and was told nominations for chair and vice chair will proceed after swearing-in; if multiple nominations are made for either post, the assembly will use a secret ballot.
Next steps: Elections staff urged members to direct specific questions to the election department ahead of April 28; the committee did not take formal action during the meeting.
