The Other Half of the Ticket: Alaska's Next Lieutenant Governor, On the Record

Alaskans vote for a governor. The lieutenant governor comes with the ticket. That second name deserves a closer look. The lieutenant governor oversees the Division of Elections and is first in line if the governor's office becomes vacant. Most voters never hear the candidates for the job answer a question. This forum gives them an hour. Each candidate will have eight minutes to answer the same three questions: Experience. What is the largest organization or budget you have personally been accountable for, and what did it teach you about running something as complex as state government? Elections. The Division of Elections will report to you. What would you change in how Alaska administers its elections? The portfolio. Beyond elections, the job is largely what the governor assigns. What assignment would you ask for on day one, and what in your record qualifies you to carry it? A moderated Q&A follows. Five questions, one minute per answer, with no follow-ups and no cross-talk. Topics include each candidate's plan for either outcome on Ballot Measure 2, voting access in rural Alaska, and how each would approach the governorship if they had to assume it mid-term. Same questions. Same clock. A side-by-side look at the candidates before you cast your vote. Participating: Josh Church, Candi English, and Zac Johnson. Mike Shower is out of state and unable to attend. Commonwealth North is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates.