Three people from Alaska become part of U.S. history as part of the Electoral College

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - On the second floor of the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, children sang the Alaska Flag songs, Junior ROTC students marched with the United States flag, and three people became a part of the history of the United States.

In a ceremony lasting less than 20 minutes, three Alaskan electors cast Electoral College votes for Alaska.

Alaska’s electors for 2024 are Rick Whitbeck from Anchorage, Ron Johnson from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Eileen Becker from Homer.

Traditionally, the event is held in Juneau, but Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom moved it to Anchorage this year, hoping more people could witness the process.

“It’s just really nice for our state to be able to have our votes counted and to be a part of this process and to show the residents and citizens of Alaska that our votes do matter,” Dahlstrom said. “Every vote counts.”

The Alaskan Republican Party chose the trio. The electors were chosen by delegates at the Alaskan Republican State Convention in April.

“There’s really only a very small handful of people in every single state that are selected to sign these documents,” Dahlstrom said. “And then they’re going to be a part of United States history for the rest of ever and ever and ever. So for a state that has 700,000 people, to be three people that get to sign, quite an honor.”

For decades, Alaska has reliably chosen the Republican presidential nominee by a significant margin in elections.

President-Elect Donald Trump won over 54% of the votes and earned the three state electoral votes. The electors' votes will be shipped to Washington, D.C., where Congress will officially count the votes on Jan. 6, 2025.

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