Alaska Dispatches
# 9  —  9 November 2000

Election

I am just back from steaming with the chief. We were in a huge steam house with about 15 men, ranging from a 25-year-old former student of Leisy’s to the chief and one other elder. The other elder in the steam asked me where I was from, and when I told him California, he asked me if I knew Kenneth Cooper.
The chief has been very kind to Leisy. One time we were in his store, the largest in town, and he spoke with Leisy at length about how the village was totally behind what she was doing. He told her that she should feel welcome here. He explained how appreciative folks where that she sang in church. He said that she shouldn’t believe it when she hears that there are people in town who do not like what she is doing here.
The chief’s steam house is equipped with a meat thermometer, which at one point read 120˚ Celsius. I have no idea if that was an accurate measurement, but I can say that it was unbelievably hot in there and that I witnessed several men rolling around on the floor. Counting the nails, as they like to say.
I crashed through the door and crawled out to the porch when the heat became absolutely unbearable inside. There were a few people out on the porch, although I couldn’t see who through the steamy haze. After a minute or so, I heard someone say my name, pause, and then: “Uh….that’s the boss’s spot.” I had settled myself into the chief’s seat in the corner. I quickly moved over before he exited the steam bath to join us.
Out in the porch, we cooled off and talked about the election. Our discussion provided an interesting perspective on the political process. People pick up bits and pieces from television, and it is fascinating to discover what sticks, what gets ignored and what gets misconstrued. Someone explained his understanding of what happened in Florida; that the ballot had Bush on one side and Gore on the other, and that people pressed the button for Gore but voted for Bush, so they wound up throwing 18,000 votes away. Another steamer added that folks got confused between the two Bush brothers, Jeb and George, down in Florida and that that had really messed things up.
Participating in the election up here was curious. We voted at the Traditional Council building. I filled out the ballot form, and handed it to the local election official. She looked it over carefully and, as I guess it met with her approval, placed it in the ballot envelope. I imagine that the ballots will be sent off to Fairbanks at some point, and perhaps even counted one day. Leisy asked what she should write for “Physical Location” and the official replied “the clinic,” meaning where you receive a physical examination around here. 
By the time I voted in the afternoon CNN had called the election (albeit prematurely). Alaska, an hour behind the west coast and the controller of only 3 electoral votes, is indubitably marginalized in national politics. During our discussion in the steam I alluded to this by saying that I thought it would be great if some day it were up to Alaska to determine an election and everyone down states was waiting for Alaska’s electoral votes to be decided.
My comment was met with blank stares, and I realized that I had opened a can of worms. A discussion of the electoral college ensued. I said that Alaska’s three votes went to Bush. The chief said: “Gore?” I said no, that Alaska’s 3 electoral votes went to Bush, and that Florida has something like 25 electoral votes, which were the ones still being disputed. The chief looked me squarely in the eye and sternly replied: “But I voted for Gore.”
It turns out that the village strongly supported Gore, because on the eve of the election an elder got on the VHF (the marine two-way radios that are always on in every home here) and lectured for a half hour about how, if elected, Bush would cut Medicare benefits.
Alaska is a Republican stronghold, but if there were ever a close contest here, because of the vast distances and remote nature of so many Alaskan communities, it would take some time to declare a winner. If the nation were waiting for Alaska, a lot of people would be surprised to discover what life is like in many parts of this state. I imagine a CNN reporter flying in to poll the community members of the deciding precinct, thereby giving the chief an opportunity to share his unique outlook with the nation and the world.

©2000, Michael Thornton Wyman