# Counted Twice. Fairbanks Votes on the Machines. > "If the hand count is to check on the machines, then why do we have the machines?" Barbara Haney sponsored Fairbanks Proposition 3. Published 2026-09-02 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-09-02/ ## The story Counted by hand. Counted by machine. Same answer. Now Fairbanks votes. Requiring all ballots to be hand counted and prohibiting electronic tabulation Only registered borough voters would conduct the counts, and official results would come solely from manual hand counts. The petition was submitted with 2,706 signatures against a requirement of 2,391, and the clerk recertified it on August 5th, 2026. 3,338 ballots, checked by hand. A 2025 ordinance created the audit and passed 5 to 4. A canvass board hand verified the votes on 3,338 ballots, two precincts out of 32 plus the early voting station. The tolerance was 33 ballots wide. The gap was zero. The 2025 ordinance defined failure in advance, a discrepancy greater than 1 percent between the hand count and the machine tabulation. On the sampled ballots the machines came back 100 percent accurate, so the trip point was never approached. "If the hand count is to check on the machines, then why do we have the machines?" Haney was one of four who voted against creating that audit, per KUAC. Tammie Wilson and Brett Rotermund were two of the other three. Two of 32 precincts were sampled. Thirty were not, and were never claimed. Two years. No estimate. Hand counting would start with the 2027 cycle, so October 6th is still machine tabulated. If Proposition 3 passes, the ordinance is law for two years and neither the Assembly nor the voters can repeal, modify or negate it. The ordinance carries no fiscal analysis. Register by September 6th. A test can settle a measurement. It can't settle what a count is for. What result would have changed your mind? ## What we verified - Proposition 3 on the Fairbanks North Star Borough ballot is a citizens' initiative requiring all ballots to be hand counted by registered borough voters, with observation as authorized by law, and prohibiting electronic tabulation systems. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - The Fairbanks North Star Borough regular municipal election is October 6th, 2026, with polls open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - The borough's adopted factual information on Proposition 3 states that the ordinance does not include a fiscal analysis or estimate of implementation costs. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - The borough's adopted factual information states that if Proposition 3 is approved the ordinance is law for two years and neither the Assembly nor the voters can repeal, modify, or negate it during that period. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - The FNSB Assembly adopted Resolution No. 2026-26 approving information of a strictly factual nature pertaining to the hand count initiative petition. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13090,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - The borough's adopted factual information states that a hand count typically takes longer to determine election results than an electronic tabulation system. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Proposition 2 on the same ballot is a citizens' initiative changing the date of the Fairbanks North Star Borough regular municipal election and making related changes. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - Proposition 1 on the same ballot is a citizens' initiative establishing maximum allowable tax revenues. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - The voter registration deadline for the October 2026 borough election is September 6th, 2026. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - Early voting runs from September 21st, 2026 through October 1st, 2026 at the Noel Wien Library, 1215 Cowles Street, Fairbanks. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - Absentee by mail applications are due September 29th, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - Electronic absentee applications close October 5th, 2026 at noon. [Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk, Election Information](https://www.fnsb.gov/269/Election-Information), primary document, 2026-09-02. - The Borough Clerk recertified the hand count initiative on August 5th, 2026 for placement before voters on October 6th, 2026. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - No published estimate exists of what hand counting would cost the Fairbanks North Star Borough. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Proposition 3 would mandate manual hand counting beginning with the 2027 election cycle, so the October 6th, 2026 election itself is still machine tabulated. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Under the initiative only registered borough voters would conduct ballot counts and official election results would be determined solely from manual hand counts. [FNSB Assembly Special Meeting Agenda Packet, August 20th 2026](https://fnsb.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=13091,plainText=true)), primary document, 2026-08-20. - The Fairbanks North Star Borough canvass board hand verified votes on a total of 3,338 ballots during the audit of the 2025 borough election. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. - Of the 3,338 audited ballots, 2,846 came from the early voting station and 492 came from the Goldstream No. 2 and Moose Creek precincts. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. - The audit found that the borough owned Dominion Voting Systems machines tabulated votes 100 percent accurately for the sampled ballots. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. - The Assembly adopted the Proposition 3 ballot language on a 6 to 1 vote, with Brett Rotermund the sole no vote. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/assembly-sets-election-language-for-hand-count-proposition/article_123aa473-6b9d-4331-9cc7-80a97be93438.html), report, 2026-08-25. - Rotermund said the borough's approved language seems a little bit leading to him and sounds negative. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/assembly-sets-election-language-for-hand-count-proposition/article_123aa473-6b9d-4331-9cc7-80a97be93438.html), report, 2026-08-25. - Assembly member Tammie Wilson was ruled to have a conflict on the measure because she was one of the initiative's lead sponsors. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/assembly-sets-election-language-for-hand-count-proposition/article_123aa473-6b9d-4331-9cc7-80a97be93438.html), report, 2026-08-25. - The Assembly amended the voter information to say a hand count would instead take longer to determine unofficial election results than an electronic tabulation station. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/assembly-sets-election-language-for-hand-count-proposition/article_123aa473-6b9d-4331-9cc7-80a97be93438.html), report, 2026-08-25. - The hand count initiative petition was submitted with 2,706 signatures against a requirement of 2,391. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/haney-submits-hand-count-initiative-with-surplus-signatures/article_39d02213-2504-4cd6-bd17-0e976010a28a.html), report, 2026-07-24. - The Fairbanks North Star Borough tabulates ballots on borough owned Dominion Voting Systems optical scan machines, a company now operating as Liberty Vote. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. - In March 2025 the Assembly deadlocked 4 to 4 and failed to renew a 219,489 dollar five year sole source contract with Dominion for ballot programming and annual licensing. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/elections/2025-03-10/assembly-fails-voting-machine-contract-may-force-change-to-hand-counting-ballots), report, 2025-03-10. - The hand count audit was created by an ordinance sponsored by Assembly member David Guttenberg that passed 5 to 4 in spring 2025. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/elections/2025-05-04/fnsb-elections-will-have-hand-count-auditing), report, 2025-05-04. - Barbara Haney, Tammie Wilson, Brett Rotermund and Mindy O'Neall voted against the 2025 ordinance that created the hand count audit. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/elections/2025-05-04/fnsb-elections-will-have-hand-count-auditing), report, 2025-05-04. - Barbara Haney, a former borough Assembly member, sponsored the hand count citizens' initiative. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/haney-submits-hand-count-initiative-with-surplus-signatures/article_39d02213-2504-4cd6-bd17-0e976010a28a.html), report, 2026-07-24. - Haney asked that if the hand count is to check on the machines, then why the borough has the machines. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/haney-submits-hand-count-initiative-with-surplus-signatures/article_39d02213-2504-4cd6-bd17-0e976010a28a.html), report, 2026-07-24. - Mayor Grier Hopkins said he is not excited about spending more money and not excited about less accuracy. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2026-08-11/fairbanks-borough-voters-to-consider-hand-count-date-change-in-october-municipal-election), report, 2026-08-11. - Guttenberg said people who think no election is honest will take nothing from the audit, and that the rest will have some satisfaction in thinking the machines are counting correctly. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. - Turnout in Fairbanks North Star Borough elections has consistently hovered in the 20 to 25 percent range over the last few years. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2026-08-11/fairbanks-borough-voters-to-consider-hand-count-date-change-in-october-municipal-election), report, 2026-08-11. - The audit covered two randomly selected precincts plus the early voting station, drawn from the borough's 32 voting precincts. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/elections/2025-05-04/fnsb-elections-will-have-hand-count-auditing), report, 2025-05-04. - The 2025 audit ordinance created a process for what happens if a discrepancy greater than 1 percent emerges between the hand count and the machine tabulation. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/2025-10-17/new-fairbanks-north-star-borough-election-hand-count-audit-aligns-100-with-machine-tabulations), report, 2025-10-17. 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