A. 
The municipal clerk shall cause an official ballot to be mailed to registered voters no sooner than 30 days and no later than 15 days prior to the regular or special election day.
B. 
On election day, polls shall open for voting at 7:00 a.m. and shall remain open continuously until 8:00 p.m.
C. 
Fifteen minutes before the closing of the polls, an election judge shall announce to all persons present the time remaining before the polls close. A judge shall announce the time when the polls close. When the polls are closed no ballots shall be given out except to qualified voters present at the polls and waiting to vote when the polls are announced closed.
D. 
The polling place for all elections shall be established by the state of Alaska as set forth in the Alaska Administrative Code. If for some reason the location is unusable, the borough clerk shall designate a different location. Such location shall be included in all notices of election.
E. 
Election precincts for municipal elections shall be the same as those established in DBC § 2.05.010. As the need arises, reapportionment and redistricting changes shall take place by assembly ordinance.
(Code 1989 § 68-1; Ord. 02-09 § 2; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
Before the polls open on election day, the borough clerk shall deliver the ballots and sample ballots prepared pursuant to Chapter 8.10 DBC to an election board member at each polling place. The ballots shall be delivered in separate sealed packages, with the number of ballots enclosed in each package clearly marked on the outside of the package. A receipt for each package shall be signed for by the election board to whom the package is delivered and given to the borough clerk. No ballots shall be taken from the polling place before the closing of the polls except as described in DBC § 8.20.020.
B. 
The borough clerk shall keep the following records:
1. 
The number of ballots delivered to the polling place;
2. 
The time the ballots were delivered;
3. 
The name of the person to whom the ballots were delivered; and
4. 
The receipt given for the ballots by the election board.
C. 
When the ballots are returned, the borough clerk shall record the following:
1. 
The number of the ballots returned;
2. 
The time the ballots are returned;
3. 
The name of the person returning the ballots; and
4. 
The condition of the ballots.
(Code 1989 § 68-2; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
Before the polls open on election day, the borough clerk shall furnish the election board judges at each polling place voting booths and ballot boxes with locks or sealing materials and the following materials: the updated master voter registration list; a blank register; envelopes bearing the oath and affidavit of eligibility for questioned ballots; an envelope for the collection of spoiled ballots and an envelope for the collection of questioned ballots; copies of the notice of election; the municipality's elections ordinances; a sufficient number of instruction sheets; and a sufficient supply of pens, pencils, and envelopes.
B. 
The borough clerk shall supply the election board chairperson with tally sheets and forms for the report of preliminary election results.
(Code 1989 § 68-3; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
Before receiving any ballots, the election board must, in the presence of all persons present at the polling place, open and exhibit the ballot box to be used at the polling place. After showing the box, the box will be sealed and not opened again until the polls are finally closed. At the close of the polls and after deposit into the ballot box of all ballots properly voted upon, the ballot box will be personally opened by the election judges.
(Code 1989 § 68-4; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
Voting by Mail. When voting by mail, follow the instructions provided with the ballot and do one of the following:
1. 
The voter shall place the return ballot in the mail with the correct postage paid. The municipality shall not accept ballots collect on delivery or in any other fashion that requires payment by the municipality;
2. 
The voter shall deliver the ballot return envelope to the borough office.
B. 
Voting at a Polling Location. A voter shall give the judges or clerks their name, print and sign their name, and confirm their residence address on the first available line of the blank register. The signing of the register is a declaration by the voter that they are qualified to vote. If the voter is not known to any judge or clerk present, the judge or clerk may require the voter to produce a state voter registration card or other identification. If, in the opinion of the judge or clerk, there is doubt as to whether the person is registered to vote, they shall immediately question the voter.
C. 
If the voter is not questioned, the judge or clerk shall give the voter a single ballot. The voter shall:
1. 
Retire to a voting booth.
2. 
Cast his/her ballot according to the instructions provided with the ballot.
3. 
Place his/her ballot in the ballot envelope provided.
4. 
The voter shall then, in the presence of the election judge, deposit the ballot in the ballot box unless the voter requests the election judge to deposit the ballot on their behalf. Separate ballot boxes may be used for separate ballots.
D. 
If a voter is questioned, the voter may cast a questioned ballot pursuant to DBC § 8.15.070.
(Code 1989 § 68-5; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
If a voter improperly marks or otherwise damages a ballot and discovers their mistake before the ballot is placed into the ballot box, they shall return it to an election official, concealing from view the manner in which it is marked, and request a new ballot. The election official shall write the words "Spoiled Ballot" on the outside of the folded ballot, and place it in an envelope with other spoiled ballots for return to the borough clerk. The judge or clerk shall then issue a new ballot to the voter. A voter may request replacement of a spoiled ballot no more than three times.
(Code 1989 § 68-6; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
Every election judge and election clerk shall question, and any other person qualified to vote in the municipality may question, a person attempting to vote if the questioner has good reason to suspect that the questioned person is not qualified to vote. All questions regarding a person's qualifications to vote shall be made in writing setting out the reason the person has been questioned.
B. 
If a voter's name is not on the master voter registration list or a voter's eligibility to vote is questioned, or there is some other question regarding a voter's eligibility, and the voter believes that they are registered and eligible to vote, then the voter shall sign an envelope bearing the oath and affidavit of eligibility attesting to the fact that, in each particular, the person meets all the qualifications of a voter, is not disqualified, and has not voted at the same election. After the questioned person has executed the oath and affidavit of eligibility, the person shall cast a questioned ballot. If the questioned person refuses to execute the oath and affidavit of eligibility, the person shall not vote.
C. 
A voter who casts a questioned ballot shall vote their ballot in the same manner as prescribed for other voters. The voter shall insert the ballot into the ballot envelope and put the ballot envelope into an affidavit envelope on which the statement the voter previously signed is located. The affidavit envelope shall be sealed and deposited in the ballot box. When the ballot box is opened, these envelopes shall be segregated, counted, compared to the voting list, sealed in the questioned ballots envelope and delivered to the borough clerk along with other election materials and the ballot statement when the election board completes the tally and count of ballots. The merits of the question shall be determined by the canvass committee.
(Code 1989 § 68-7; Ord. 91-11 § 8; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A qualified voter who cannot read, mark the ballot, or sign their name, or who because of blindness or other physical disability or who because of unfamiliarity with the system of voting needs assistance, may request an election judge, a person, or not more than two persons of their choice to assist them. If the election judge is requested, they shall assist the voter. If any other person is requested, the person shall state upon oath before the election judge that they shall not divulge the vote cast by the person whom they assist or change the voting wishes of the person they assist.
(Code 1989 § 68-8; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
Prohibiting the Leaving of the Polling Place with Ballot. No voter shall leave the polling place with the official ballot that they received to mark.
B. 
Prohibiting the Exhibition of Marked Ballots. No voter shall exhibit their ballot to an election official or any other person so as to enable any person to ascertain how the voter marked their ballot.
C. 
Prohibiting the Identification of Ballots. No election official shall, while the polls are open, open any ballot received from a voter, or mark a ballot by folding or otherwise so as to be able to recognize it, or otherwise attempt to learn how a voter marked the ballot, or allow the same to be done by another person.
D. 
Prohibiting the Count of Exhibited Ballots. No election official shall allow a ballot which they know to have been unlawfully exhibited by the voter to be placed in the ballot box. A ballot unlawfully exhibited shall be recorded as a spoiled ballot and destroyed.
E. 
Prohibition of Political Discussion by Election Board. During the hours that the polls are open, no judge or clerk shall discuss any political party, candidate or issue while on duty.
F. 
Prohibition of Political Persuasion Near Election Polls. During the hours that polls are open, no person who is in the polling place or within 200 feet of any entrance to the polling place shall attempt to persuade a person to vote for or against a candidate, proposition or question. The election judges shall post warning notices of the required distance in the form and manner prescribed by the supervisor of elections.
(Code 1989 § 68-9; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
Any election judge shall administer to a voter any oath that is necessary in the administration of the election.
(Code 1989 § 68-10; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
The decision of the majority of judges determines the action that the election board shall take regarding any question which arises during the course of the election.
(Code 1989 § 68-11; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
A voter shall mark their ballot as instructed on the ballot.
B. 
A failure to properly mark a ballot as to one or more candidates or propositions does not itself invalidate the entire ballot.
C. 
If a voter marks fewer names than there are persons to be elected to the office, a vote shall be counted for each candidate properly marked.
D. 
If a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to the office, the votes for candidates to that office shall not be counted.
E. 
Improper marks on the ballot shall not be counted and shall not invalidate marks for candidates properly made.
F. 
An erasure or correction invalidate only that section of the ballot in which it appears.
(Code 1989 § 68-12; Ord. 91-11 § 9; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
The ballots shall be counted by the vote tabulation system selected by the Denali Borough clerk.
A. 
Hand-counted ballots shall be tabulated according to the following rules:
1. 
Immediately after the polls close and the last vote has been cast, the election judges shall open the boxes containing the ballots and count the ballots. Ballots shall not be counted before 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election. The counting of the ballots shall be public. The opening of the ballot box at the close of the polls shall be done in full view of any persons present. The public shall not be excluded from the area in which the ballots are counted. However, the chairman of the election board shall not permit anyone present to interfere in any way or to distract the appointed officials from their duties, and no one other than appointed election officials shall handle the ballots. The judges shall remove the ballots from the ballot box one by one, and tally the number of votes for each candidate and for or against each proposition or question. The ballots shall be inspected for disqualifying marks or defects. The election judges shall cause the vote tally to be continued without adjournment until the count is complete.
2. 
The election board shall account for all ballots by completing a ballot statement containing (a) the number of ballots received; (b) the number of ballots voted; (c) the number of ballots spoiled; and (d) the number of ballots unused. The board shall count the number of questioned ballots and shall compare that number to the number of questioned voters in the register. If any discrepancies in numbers of ballots received and ballots accounted for are found, the ballots shall be recounted until the election board finds that the number of ballots accounted for are the same as the number received or that there is an unexplained error. If a discrepancy is determined to exist between the ballots received and those accounted for, it shall be explained in detail on the ballot statement and the explanation signed by the election judges.
3. 
At no time during the tallying of votes may anyone but the election officials handle the ballots. The ballots shall not be marked in any way by anyone during the tallying.
B. 
Other Ballot Counting Systems Authorized. Nothing in this title prohibits the use of other ballot counting systems which have been approved for use in state elections. The borough clerk, subject to any further approval as may be required by law, may prescribe rules for the use of these systems or may adopt such rules, regulations and procedures as have been adopted for use in state elections.
C. 
Write-in votes shall be tabulated according to the following rules:
1. 
Write-in votes are not invalidated by writing in the name of the candidate whose name is printed on the ballot unless the election board determines, on the basis of other evidence, that the ballot was marked for the purpose of identifying the ballot.
2. 
Write-in votes are not invalidated if the voter fails to mark the oval provided if in the opinion of the judges the voter intended to vote for the person whose name was written in as a write-in vote.
3. 
Stickers bearing the candidate's name may not be used on the ballot.
4. 
All write-in votes shall be tallied, with the exception of those which contain expletives or additional comments deemed to be derisive to a candidate or any other individual.
D. 
No ballot shall be rejected if the election board can determine the person for whom the voter intended to vote and the office intended to be chosen by the voter.
E. 
The rules set out in this section are mandatory and there shall be no exceptions to them. A ballot shall not be counted unless marked in compliance with these rules.
F. 
The chairman of the election board shall write the word "Defective" on the back of each ballot which the election board determines should not be counted, in whole or in part, for any of the reasons (other than failure of the voter to mark any choice with respect to a particular office or proposition) stated in subsection A of this section. If only a portion of the ballot is invalid, the valid votes shall be counted and the chairman shall specify on the back of the ballot exactly which portion or portions have not been counted.
G. 
If a particular objection is made to the counting of all or any part of a ballot, but the election board determines that the votes shown should be counted, the chairman of the election board shall write the words "Objected to" on the back of the ballot and specify the portion or portions of the ballot to which the objection applies.
H. 
All defective ballots and all ballots objected to shall be sealed in a single envelope marked "Defective Ballots," which shall be delivered to the borough clerk.
(Code 1989 § 68-13; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 11-23 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
A. 
When the count of ballots is complete, the election board shall make a certificate of the results using the report of preliminary election results form provided by the borough clerk. The report shall include the number of votes cast for each candidate, for and against each proposition, "yes" or "no" on each question, and any additional information the election board deems relevant or prescribed by the borough clerk. Write-in candidate names do not need to be included in the report unless the write-in candidate receives the most votes of the total number of votes cast for a particular office. All members of the election board shall immediately upon completion of the report, sign the report. The chairman shall contact the borough clerk immediately after the signing of the certificate, in the presence of the other election officials, and report the results of the election to the borough clerk. Election results may be reported to the borough clerk via email, fax, scan, telephone, or text. The election board shall deliver to the borough clerk the original report certificate, the master voter registration list, affidavits of eligibility, questioned ballots, defective ballots, spoiled ballots and other election documents, and all ballots properly cast by 10:00 a.m. the day following the election.
B. 
The borough clerk shall place all election materials received from the election board in the office safe or other lockable container until the canvass of election returns.
(Code 1989 § 68-14; Ord. 92-07 § 2; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)
The clerk shall post copies of the certificate of preliminary election results according to DBC § 1.05.020 the day after the preliminary election results are known. The notice shall include:
A. 
The time and place of the canvass committee meeting to be convened to consider the election results;
B. 
That the results do not reflect the votes of early, mail and questioned ballots and are not final until the assembly formally certifies the election; and
C. 
That anyone has the opportunity to contest the election at the canvass committee meeting per Chapter 8.30 DBC.
(Code 1989 § 68-15; Ord. 07-13 § 2; Ord. 18-17 § 2)