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Early Voting in Dillingham is Important to the Mid Term Election

Thea Card

Election Day is approaching and with that comes the final surge from politicians to earn your vote.  However, there are others out there that don’t care who you vote for—they just want you to vote.  

You may have seen her huddled up around a small card table with flyers and stickers, inside grocery stores with a friendly smile.  You’re on your way to pick up some eggs you keep forgetting and at the entrance you’re greeted by…

“Hi guys have you voted yet?”

Sarah Evans is a volunteer with the Mark Begich re-election campaign in Dillingham.  And although her table at the downtown AC has flyers and pamphlets with Mark Begich’s name and she’s sporting a Begich sticker, she’s not here to convert people to vote for him.

“My main goal today is just the fact that the earlier people vote, the more likely they are to vote. If you wait until Election Day there’s a million things that could come up or excuses you could make of why you're not getting to the polls. And if you remind people, I’ve been talking to people in the stores the last couple of weeks but most of the people that I had gotten the chance to speak with have no idea they can go in and early vote and how easy it is.”

Evans says only 26 percent of registered voters in Dillingham turned out to the primary election this year.  She says reminding people that early voting is an option is going to be the key to getting people out to vote this year.

“In 2010, during the last big election, was when Lisa Murkowski got in through a write in. We had almost 42 percent of registered voters in Dillingham turned out to vote. My personal goal is to get to 50. And the best way I know how to do that is to talk to people and sort of being that nagging annoying person and keep reminding them over and over to get out and vote. And then they’re excited to see me and they’re like ‘Hey I voted!’ So I’m cheering them on to the polls or trying to.”

To early vote visit City Hall from now until Election Day.  Evans says it’s easy and once you’ve done it, you no longer have to worry about it.  She says almost 70 people in Dillingham have already voted—including her.