on local history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.
Voting in Alaska then was not as sedate as it is today. Elections were haphazardly officiated and sometimes devolved into rowdy, alcohol-fueled parties, despite Alaska’s status as a dry territory. Candidates personally canvassed for additional voters, guiding or even driving them to polling stations. Some candidates stooped to bribery in close contests, offering voters money, gifts, or booze for their favor.
Again, Anchorage during the 1920s and 1930s was an isolated, bucolic little town. In the 1930s, the police chief kept a list of people to awaken in case of northern lights. For more than 20 years, no one noticed the contradictory rules on voter registration. The petitioners responded by hiring lawyers. It was these lawyers who first identified the contradictions of Ordinances 17 and 51. The city council ignored them, the first failure to act in what would become a defining trait. This inaction prompted the United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, Ray Plummer, to get involved.