Why did the Alaska Division of Elections give a fat contract to a printer from outside Alaska?

by | Oct 7, 2026 | Alaska Tales

I received my State of Alaska Official Election pamphlet on Oct. 6, 2026. Recently I wrote a short column for the Cordova Times that questioned why
an Oregon printer won a plum Alaska contract to print an Alaska elections pamphlet.
Here’s my beef.
With newspapers in financial trouble all over Alaska, why didn’t the Board commission an Alaska paper or printer to produce the pamphlet?
An Alaska statute says the pamphlet’s prime responsibility resides with lieutenant governor Nancy Dahlstrom.

it cost $2.21 per copy for presumably all Alaska voters, about 581,882 voters.

Many questions arise that demand transparency. Who were the individuals or printer that received the contract? Was there bidding? If so, who submitted the losing bids from Alaska?
Was there a political connection to the contract awarded to this Portland entity?
Consider me a puzzled Alaska voter, Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Why, why Portland??????
–Hank Nuwer
akleg.gov
Alaska Admin Code