Member Communication

Alaskans must register by July 19th to vote in the August Primary Election. You can register or update your voter registration here.

Our member-run Local 71 PAC has endorsed the following candidates so far:

All members are encouraged to assist candidates by volunteering, coming to Labor Walks and spreading the word to get out the vote for the candidates who support your wages and your rights on the job! Enter any event you attend here for Laborers Rising credit, and the chance to win a prize! (Just enter Local 71, then scroll to the bottom of the page and type in the date and name of the event that you attended.)

See the following for those that received endorsements from the Anchorage CLC for the upcoming elections. 

Endorsed:

HD 11 – Danni Hall

Dual Endorsement: HD 13 – Lisa Keller &  Felix Rivera

HD 15 – Denny Wells

HD 18 – Cliff Groh

HD 23 – Ruby Jones

HD 24 – Gina Wall

Also, added is the list of the incumbent candidates below that are seeking to be re-elected and have interviewed with the Anchorage CLC in the past. Motion was made, seconded and passed to re-endorse the following:

HD 9 – Ky Holland

HD 10 – Chuck Kopp

HD 12 – Calvin Schrage

HD 14 – Alyse Galvin

HD 16 – Carolyn Hall

HD 17 – Zack Fields

HD 19 – Genevieve Mina

HD 20 – Andrew Gray

HD 21 – Donna Mears

HD 22 – Ted Eischeid

SD E- Cathy Giessel

SD G – Elvi Gray- Jackson

SD I – Loki Tobin

SD K – Bill Wielechowski

The Fairbanks CLC has concluded its endorsement process for the October 6, 2026 local election.  THIS WILL BE A LOW TURNOUT ELECTION – WHICH MEANS THAT YOUR VOTE CARRIES EVEN MORE WEIGHT – PLEASE VOTE IN THIS ELECTION!

They are as follows:

City Council E – Tom Allen

 

Assembly Seat D – Alexis Howell

Assembly Seat E – Nick LaJiness

Assembly Seat H – Scott Crass

 

School Board Seat E – Tim Doran

School Board Seat G – Sean Holland

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Alaska AFL-CIO.

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Members Make Local 71 Strong

LIUNA Local 71 members keep our union strong by coming to union meetings, participating in events and being a strong voice for workers on the job.

OUR GOAL: 100% VOTER REGISTRATION  & TURNOUT FOR ELIGIBLE MEMBERS.

Use THIS LINK to get your ballot by mail, anyone can do it!

Voting for officials who support our issues benefits & supports our goals.

Elected & Appointed Officials make regulations, laws, and ordinances which affect our our jobs, and for the Union to negotiate on behalf of our Members.

*  When we negotiate contracts for wages, benefits, and fair treatment on the job, these are the people on the other side of the table. *  We all want to negotiate with people who support our issues. *  First, we must elect them. *  We are stronger together. *  Your vote supports our ability to negotiate on your behalf. *  Officials pay attention to who votes & how often they vote / your registration & action supports our efforts to negotiate on your behalf.

 Elected officials follow voting lists.  These lists don’t show how you vote, but they do show how often.

*  The fact is: The more we vote, the more We matter to them.

*  Some officials think it’s ok to withhold support or action from “people who don’t vote anyway.”

 So, what’s a “Super-Voter?”

*  Someone who really matters to elected officials.

*  Someone who votes in every election from Local (Assemblies, Councils, & School Boards), to State (House, Senate, Governor, Judges, Ballot Initiatives), to U.S. President.

*  A “Known Voter” who can un-elect someone if they don’t listen to them!

*  We’re in the strongest position to negotiate when we can say: “Our Members Vote!”

 Believe it or not, elections are decided by very small margins, especially in Alaska.  Our membership is large enough to make a difference, when we all stand together.  One vote can make all the difference!

1960 – ONE Vote per precinct elected John F. Kennedy president.
1978 – Jay Hammond beat Walter Hickle for governor in the Primary by just 98 votes statewide.
1978 – ONE Vote elected Tim Kelly to his Senate seat in District F.
1982 – TWO Votes nominated David McCracken for State Senate District J in the Primary.
1984 – ONE Vote nominated Mary Ratcliff for State Representative of House District 12 in the Primary.
1986 – 17 Votes (less than one vote per precinct) elected Rick Uehling Senator from District H, Seat B, out of 14,389.
1992 – FIVE Votes (less than one vote / precinct) gave Al Vezey the nomination for State Representative of House District 32
1994 – 1.1 votes per precinct elected Tony Knowles as Governor and Fran Ulmer as Lt. Governor out of 216,668 votes cast
1996 – ONE Vote gave Ann Spohnholz the nomination for House District 21 State Representative in the Primary.
1998 – A TIE was broken by a flip of the coin to elect Wayne Morgan after a runoff for a school board Kuspuk School District.
1999 – A TIE was broken by a flip of the coin to elect Larry Wilson to a school board seat in the Bering Strait School District.
2006 – A TIE was settled by the flip of a coin for a school-board seat in the Aleutian Islands the incumbent, Katherine Dunton
2006 – A TIE was settled by coin flip for Brice Edgmon (now Speaker of the House) in House District 37
2008 – FOUR votes carried Representative Mike Kelly back to the State House in District 7 against Karl Kassel.
2012 – Alaska State House District 34 was finalized after a recount & won by 32 Votes out of 8,328 votes cast. ( 0.004%)

2018 – House District 1 elects Bart LeBon by one vote following recounts.

THE NEXT ELECTION MAY BE IN YOUR HANDS!

Political Action Committee (PAC):

The Local 71 PAC is RUN BY MEMBERS and funded by DONATIONS – NOT DUES

We ONLY endorse and contribute to candidates who convince us that they will support your jobs, benefits, retirements, and workplace rights – no other issues. Candidates must talk to us, our MEMBERS MAKE THE DECISION TO ENDORSE OR SUPORT AT OUR MEETINGS!!

Anyone can contribute, and we encourage former recipients to contribute. But, ONLY Local 71 MEMBERS can make decisions on endorsements or dispersements.

At the January 2022 General Membership Meeting in Kenai, the membership unanimously approved a motion to create a Local 71 Political Action Committee (PAC) as a formal committee:

• Comprised of Local 71 Members who voluntarily contribute financially to the PAC fund;
• To meet separately from the E-Board & General Membership meetings;
• To be required to provide a report ASAP following any meeting to the Board;
• To require a quorum of five(5) members;
• To allow for virtual meetings and electronic polling;
• To require announcement to all PAC members via email or phone prior to any meeting;
• To be bestowed the power to endorse candidates and positions and to disperse PAC funds;
• To convene initially at the call of the Local 71 Vice President;
• To elect officers from among its own members via voice or written nomination, and to operate under presumed ascent;
• And to recognize that creation of said committee supersedes the actions taken by the membership at the general membership meeting of April 2021.

Contact your Business Representative or Office Staff to sign up for the PAC!

Local 71 Members VOTE, and we make a difference in Alaska’s elections!

You can VOTE EARLY! Click Here for more information on how to vote early.

Public Employees Local 71 Members who are eligible to vote are proudly registered to vote with a density of over 95% and we remain engaged in the election process. We meet with candidates and ask them hard questions about how they will support our members and mission. We do independent research, and we check the records of those who seek our support.

Life on the Frontier: The Hardworking Spirit of Alaska

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OUR CONTACT Get in touch

We would love to hear from you! Whether you have a question, feedback, or simply want to say hello, there are several ways to get in touch with us. Choose the method that works best for you.

• Public Employees Local 71-Headquarters 2510 Arctic Blvd, Anchorage, AK 99503

• 907-276-7211

• tracy@local71.com

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