In her first interview with Alaska journalists, the newly appointed director of Alaska’s State Division of Elections declined to clarify whether or not President Joe Biden was fairly elected in 2020.
Carol Beecher, a registered Republican and a major donor to Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 she was appointed by Lieutenant. Governor. Nancy Dahlstrom on Wednesday.
“I cannot speak about the national election,” she said when asked about the presidential election. “I was a voter, I believe that it was according to the laws in Alaska. This is what I am able to relate to. I’m not sure how issues were in other states.”
Beecher said she was “a layman” in the field of elections. when asked if she believes Biden was elected in a fair manner she replied, “I believe that President Biden was elected and it was done in line with the laws and regulations of the different states. I’m aware that there’s been a lot of debate regarding this issue. But I’m not knowledgeable enough to know the specifics of what took place in these state,” she said.
Out of forty federal court proceedings brought by former presidents and his supporters in relation to the outcome of the presidential election in 2020, Trump prevailed in only one of them, and it was later thrown out.
It was Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania All states won by narrow margins that are crucial to the overall resulthand count as well as post-election audits proved outcome and found no evidence of fraud that was significant enough to alter the outcome.
This week, Dominion Voting Systems, which supplies the machines for tabulation which are in use in Alaska as well as many of the other states mentioned above, issued the 192-page legal file declaring the fact that Fox News deliberately lied about fraud during the election. The network faces an alleged libel suit worth billions of dollars brought by Dominion.
Before his departure at the beginning of the month, ex- Lieutenant. Governor. Kevin Meyer said that tackling and overcoming misinformation turned to be one of biggest issues facing the Division of Elections during his term. Meyer is an Republican.
When asked in an interview prior to her retirement in December the former Division of Elections director Gail Fenumiai an unregistered nonpartisan voters, directed her yet-to-be-named successor to stay away from politics.
“You need to keep political issues out of the business,” she said.
Beecher is a seasoned administrator in the Department of Revenue with a record of giving for Republican presidential candidates. This includes Dahlstrom who named her as director.
“I did not know that she had contributed to our campaign , nor did I check any of the donation instances with any of the people I talked to,” Dahlstrom said.
She also claimed to be ignorant that Beecher was registered Republican although she was sure that this was the case.
Beecher’s professional experience includes stints as the former governor’s scheduler. Sarah Palin, who is currently running for a change to the state’s ranked-choice voting law following her loss in the 2022 election for U.S. House. Another advocate of changing this law Kelly Tshibaka, an unsuccessful 2022 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Beecher made a donation to Tshibaka this year as per campaign finance reports.
If it is successful, a ballot measure petition that is backed by Palin and Tshibaka will need to be scrutinized by Beecher’s Division of Elections under Beecher.
“I haven’t interacted with the former Governor. Palin. I had a wonderful time inside her offices. It was lots of enjoyment. I really enjoyed it. However, we haven’t maintained an intimate friendship,” she said.
Beecher stated that she would not make donations to any candidates during her time as the director of elections, but she will keep her registration as a Republican.
The law of the state allows the director to voice their personal opinion regarding political issues and to sign up as a member of a political group however, it restricts the director from making political contributions.
Dahlstrom has encouraged Beecher to apply for the position due to her experiences as administrator. Beecher is employed since the year 2011, in the child-support department within the Department of Revenue. This agency is responsible of the enforcement of child support payments and garnishments in accordance with court orders.
Adam Crum, commissioner of the Department of Revenue, said she did a great job in her job.
“If you were to go back to the past, that was a concern to the Legislature and Carol gave peace to the child support services.” He said.
He pointed out that the section is situated between federal law, state laws and state regulations. It addresses contentious issues. The experience would apply to elections.
“Her ability to cross-check and assist during elections is, in my opinion it’s great for Alaska. Overall she’s a solid hand. She can handle complex issues and she brings peace to the process.” he said.
While she has a solid understanding of administrative procedures, Beecher admitted that she is not an expert in elections work.
When asked about the state’s performance using ranked choice voting during the last election she resisted.
“I must look at it from a ordinary standpoint as a voter” she added.
She also declined to speak on the possibility of introducing bills for elections within the Legislature.
Dahlstrom stated that Beecher’s work experience was what made her the perfect candidate as the ideal candidate for this job.
“She’s an extremely hard worker. I’m confident that she’s impartial. I’m sure she’ll follow the laws. She will ensure that laws are implemented,” Dahlstrom said. “Her opinion is not important when it comes to this issue and she’s aware that my views don’t really matter. Our duty is to obey the law. That’s the oath I took. That’s the reason I’ve requested her.”
This article first appeared within the Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
