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Unalaskan Democrats Organize Local Caucus

KUCB Staff

This week in Nevada, Republican voters gave Donald Trump 14 more delegates; last Saturday, Democratic voters in that state and Republicans in South Carolina voiced their choices for who should be their party's presidential candidate.

So, when do Unalaska voters get to weigh in on who should be the final contenders for the White House in 2016? If you're a registered Republican, you're out of luck - unless someone organizes an official local polling place before next Tuesday, March 1. [Editor's note: please see update at the end of this story.]

That's the date of the Republican Party's Alaska Presidential Preference Poll. Preference votes must be cast in person at a polling place organized by district volunteers. Right now, the closest Republican polling facility is in Naknek; it's the only polling place in District 37, which encompasses the Aleutian Islands and a large chunk of the southwestern mainland. 

Suzanne Downing of the Alaska Republican Party says nobody in Unalaska has volunteered to organize a polling place so that local Republican voters can choose among contenders Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio or Ben Carson. Jeb Bush dropped out after coming in fourth in South Carolina this past weekend.

If you're a registered Democrat in Unalaska, you will have an opportunity to back the candidate of your choice. A caucus is scheduled at the end of March and Tammy Pound is organizing the event.

"I agreed to help put on the caucus this year. I helped put on the caucus in 2008, so I was more than willing to help again," Pound said.

She says this year's Unalaska Democratic caucus will take place on Saturday, March 26 at ten a.m.

"Which I thought was a little unusual, last time it was in the evening, but this year they are doing it at ten a.m. So around the state every district will have their caucuses at the same time. Our district chair is in Dillingham, so we are part of Dillingham," Pound said. "Registered Democrats are who can participate in the caucus, you can't be independent or registered as anything else. You can register the day of the caucus to participate; you also have to be a resident here in our district."

It's not just Alaskan Democrats who will be picking between Hillary and Bernie on that day. Voters in Hawaii and Washington State also participate in district gatherings as part of the Western Regional caucus.

Pound said doors open around 9 a.m. the day of the caucus at the United Methodist Church of Unalaska, the church on the lake between the senior and elementary schools. Although the website for the Alaskan Democratic Party lists the caucus location as Burma Road Chapel, she says a lower rental fee prompted organizers to choose the Methodist Church as the venue.

Because of its small population, Alaska won't send as many delegates to the national conventions as other states, but Pound hopes Unalaskans will get out to vote.

"I've seen in a local election for a state representative that ended in a tie, and was then decided by a coin toss. So really, your voice does matter and your vote does count. I encourage people to participate, even we think it doesn't matter what we do here, I think it does," Pound said.

Pound urged those wishing to participate in the local democratic caucus to pre-register on the state's Democratic party website,www.alaskademocrats.org.

Any Republicans interested in organizing a polling place in Unalaska should contact District 37 officials immediately. Contact details and more information can be found at www.alaskagop.org.

[UPDATE 02/25/16 5:30 p.m.: Local registered Republican Jacob Whitaker says he's making a last minute push to establish an official polling place in Unalaska so that GOP voters can participate in the March 1 Alaska Presidential Preference Poll. He told KUCB Thursday evening that he expects confirmation from District 37 leaders on Friday. Once he gets an official green light, he will get the word out - he says he has already reserved Burma Road Chapel as the polling place. KUCB will update this story as we receive more information.]
 
[UPDATE 02/26/16 9 a.m.: Whitaker confirms an official polling place will be open in Unalaska for Republican preference voting on Tuesday, March 1 from 3-8 p.m. See story entitled "Local Republicans Organize 11th Hour Polling Place."]

Greta Mart worked for KUCB in 2015 and 2016.