ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Federation of Natives rallied behind the PFD Voter Registration ballot initiative at last week’s AFN Convention. The Council for the Advancement of Alaska Natives, an organization representing the entire regional tribal consortia and major Alaska Native non-profits introduced a resolution of support for PFD Voter Registration during the conference. On Saturday, October 17th, the resolution was approved unanimously.

“We want to thank Lieutenant Governor Mallott for making a modern, accessible elections system in Alaska one of his top priorities,” said Kim Reitmeier, Co-Chair of PFD Voter Registration. “This initiative was a direct outgrowth of the recommendations made by the Lieutenant Governor’s Elections Reform Working Group.”

Additionally, volunteers for Get Out The Native Vote gathered more than 2,000 signatures in support of the ballot initiative. The signers represent regions all over the state, and show the wide appeal and growing support for PFD Voter Registration.

Michele Christiansen, Interim CEO for MTNT, Ltd., signed the initiative petition at AFN. Christiansen said “I support PFD Voter Registration because it makes registering to vote much easier for rural Alaska. All of our shareholders from the villages apply for their PFD, and this would make registering to vote much more accessible for them.”

PFD Voter Registration is a common-sense ballot initiative that would synchronize voter registration with the Permanent Fund Dividend application process. Alaskans could register or update their registration just by filing their PFD application, without having to fill out additional paper forms. PFD Voter Registration is projected by the DOE to register as many as seventy thousand Alaskans to vote in year one, and would fix out-of-date registration for tens of thousands more.

Signature gatherers can be found at League of Women Voters’ headquarters, community centers, and major events around the state. Alaskans can learn more, including how to sign the initiative petition, at PFDVoter.com.

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  afn, Alaska, ballot initiative, convention, pfd, voter registration