By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 25, 2026 – Investigative journalist James O’Keefe traveled to Unalaska to investigate Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s claim that residents of the remote Aleutian community could be forced to fly 800 miles to Anchorage to meet identification requirements under the SAVE America Act.
What he found was a local Division of Motor Vehicles office issuing identification cards and driver’s licenses without requiring residents to leave the island.
“We don’t have to go to Anchorage to get an ID?” O’Keefe asked an employee at the Unalaska DMV.
“No, you can come here,” the employee answered.
O’Keefe Media Group released video of the exchange as part of its continuing examination of Alaska’s election system and Murkowski’s opposition to the federal election-integrity legislation.
O’Keefe Media Group video:
Murkowski used Unalaska as one of her central examples during a March speech on the Senate floor opposing the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require people registering to vote in federal elections to present documentary proof of citizenship.
“You are in Unalaska. Say you are a fisherman or a teacher,” Murkowski told senators. “The flight to Anchorage — because this is where you are going to have to go — you are going to have to go into Anchorage, 800 air miles.”
O’Keefe video shows Alaska poll workers offering ballots in names of Murkowski’s brother, state director without ID
Murkowski said a one-way ticket could cost between $1,100 and $1,300 and that the traveler might also need to pay for a hotel, meals and ground transportation.
“The reality that we are looking at is it is costing thousands of dollars to just get me to the place so that I can register to vote,” Murkowski said.
Unalaska has its own DMV office inside the city’s Department of Public Safety building. According to the City of Unalaska, the office issues Alaska driver’s licenses and state identification cards, along with vehicle registrations and titles.
The city also publishes a list of documents residents may present when applying for a state license or identification card. Those include an original or certified U.S. birth certificate, a passport, military identification, a Certificate of Citizenship or a Certificate of Naturalization.
O’Keefe also visited the Unalaska polling location and asked an election worker whether residents would have to fly to Anchorage to register.
“No,” the worker replied, explaining that people could register in Unalaska.
The distinction at the center of the dispute is whether existing DMV offices and other voter-registration agencies would be authorized and prepared to examine citizenship documents under the SAVE America Act. Murkowski has argued that the legislation clearly allows documents to be presented at Alaska’s six regional election offices but is less clear about whether local DMVs and other state offices could perform the same function.
O’Keefe’s report challenges the practical premise of her argument: Unalaska already has a state-contracted office that examines original identity and citizenship-related documents and issues government identification.
His visit came while he was in Alaska examining the state’s election procedures. In an earlier undercover video recorded during the Aug. 18 primary, O’Keefe was offered ballots belonging to other registered voters after giving their names at an Anchorage polling location. He did not take or cast the ballots.
Murkowski, one of the Republican senators who opposed the SAVE America Act, subsequently called for O’Keefe to be investigated over the Anchorage encounter.
The SAVE America Act is intended to prevent noncitizens from registering and voting in federal elections by requiring documentary proof of citizenship. Murkowski says she supports voter identification and agrees that only citizens should vote, but argues that the legislation’s implementation requirements could disproportionately burden rural Alaskans.
O’Keefe’s trip to Unalaska shows that at least one of the remote communities highlighted in her argument already possesses more identification infrastructure than the senator had indicated. Unalaska is a hub community for transportation to and from Anchorage in the region. People in the region must travel through there on their way to Anchorage.
9 thoughts on “Ground truthing: O’Keefe flies to Unalaska to test Murkowski’s 800-mile SAVE Act claim”
Vote yes on 2 and we can finally show odious murky the boot in 2028!
Once again, Princess is,either lying, misinformed,or both
Investigative journalist,,,,,,,,
LOL
Well…Well, Well, We see that Murky’s very expensive excuse had a bag of holes with alot of windy blowing through it. Now it would be exciting/boring to see what her next excuse will be.. We know that town of Unalaska deals with alot of fisherman and the many legal things they have to deal with.. they have to check all the legal requirements of the fishing industry so WHY?? would they NOT have all the legal stuff for voting..etc..etc..Yes, coming to Anchorage does give a excuse for many people to do shopping and stocking up for the winter, BUT…BUT the excuse shouldn’t be that they have to come to be able to register to vote..
O’Keefe rocks. YES ON 2!!
Wear a flack jacket, Mr. O’Keefe.
Help put Lisa Murkowski into a straight jacket.
No one has yet to call her on her primary loss to Joe Miller when she initially conceded defeat only to announce the next day that she would engage in her now infamous write-in campaign. She had little to no problem with logistics in obtaining signatures from ALL OVER Alaska, including those poor people in remote Alaskan villages. Some signatures were in the same handwriting, there were mispelling of Murk’s name and, who knows, possibly even the primitive “X”. If this isn’t broadcast in the halls of congress, I’ll be sorely disappointed.
I would add that two weeks ago Bristol Bay Native Corporation paid for a two lady DMV team to be in Quinhagak for three days. The ladies issued a lot of real IDs.
Apparently they are doing a bunch of villages this fall. They told me the program has been going on for several years.
I find it interesting, but not surprising that BBNC is spending the money to help Villages in Calista’s region.
I would also add that voting in a village is the easiest place in Alaska to vote.
The other argument that the Left and their fellow travelers use is saying that various groups of people, in effect, are too stupid to do necessary things. But the same people never have a problem when it comes to picking up large checks from the government. Funny how that happens.
As I understand it, a Native must have ID to access their “free” healthcare at the Native Hospitals and Clinics. Odd how they seem to have them then, but not when they have to vote….