Politics

Ballot counting nears end with Alaska House race close

JUNEAU - Alaska election officials planned Wednesday to count any remaining ballots from this month’s election, with the outcome of a state House race being closely watched.

Wednesday marked the deadline for overseas ballots. Any such ballots received must be postmarked on or before Nov. 6, which was Election Day.

The race to replace Democratic state Rep. Scott Kawasaki in Fairbanks remained close. At the end of the last round of counting Friday, Republican Bart LeBon led Democrat Kathryn Dodge by five votes.

There were 17 potential overseas and military ballots for the race, the Division of Elections said Friday. The division did not break out overseas ballots specifically. As of Tuesday, no additional ballots had been received.

Dodge said early Wednesday that she wants to wait until all votes are in and the race is certified before deciding whether to seek a recount. The division is targeting Monday for certification.

After Friday's vote count, Kawasaki had a 173-vote lead over Republican Senate President Pete Kelly in that Fairbanks Senate race. That is more than the number of potential overseas ballots. Kelly said Friday that he was leaving open the option of a recount.

The outcome of the House race will decide who controls that chamber. If Republicans take the House, it would be significant, with Republican Mike Dunleavy elected governor and Republicans maintaining control of the Senate.

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The last time the GOP held the governor's office and both chambers was 2014.

House Republicans, who have been in the minority the past two years, rushed to claim control after the election, a move that assumed a win by LeBon, who held a larger lead on election night.

Republicans said they had 21 members, including LeBon, the bare minimum for a majority of the 40-member House. Not included in that tally were Republican Reps. Gabrielle LeDoux and Louise Stutes, both of whom won their races.

LeDoux and Stutes were among three Republicans who joined with Democrats and two independents to form a coalition after the 2016 elections. They were branded as "turncoats" by the former chairman of the state Republican party for doing so.

The third Republican, Rep. Paul Seaton, changed his party affiliation to nonpartisan in seeking re-election. He lost to a Republican.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Becky Bohrer, Associated Press

Becky Bohrer is a reporter for the Associated Press based in Juneau.

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