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Absentee voting underway

Voters fill out their ballots at the District 2 polling location on Aug. 16.
Riley Board
/
KDLL
Voters fill out their ballots at the District 2 polling location on Aug. 16.

In-person absentee voting for the upcoming municipal election started Monday for voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Voters can cast their ballots ahead of the Oct. 4 election at several local locations. The Soldotna Prep Building has absentee ballots for all borough precincts and is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Kenai City Clerk’s office has ballots available for a handful of precincts, as well (click here for a full list) and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are also absentee voting sites in Homer, Seldovia and Seward.

Voters who have applied for by-mail ballots can also cast their ballots that way, any time. Ballots can also be returned by fax, at a secure-drop off at the borough building or in-person at one of the above absentee voting locations. Voters have until Sept. 27 to apply for a by-mail ballot.

What's on the ballot — Borough assembly and school board

There are several local races on the ballot this fall.

Voters will elect one assembly member for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 4, representing Soldotna. Incumbent Tyson Cox and Don Boston are running for that seat. Incumbent Jesse Bjorkman, Dil Uhlin and Chase Griffith are all running for the District 3 seat, representing Nikiski.

The District 7 seat, representing the central peninsula, is also up for reelection. Incumbent Brent Johnson is running unopposed.

There are also a handful of seats up for grabs for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education. Incumbent Patti Truesdell and Virgil Gattenby are running for District 1, representing Kalifornsky. Incumbent Virginia Morgan and Ryan Culbertson are running for District 6, representing the eastern peninsula. And Zen Kelly is running unopposed to keep his seat in District 9, representing the southern peninsula.

Propositions

There are three propositions on the ballot for borough voters.

Proposition 1 puts a new apportionment plan to voters, who will choose between the existing nine-district plan or a new, 11-district plan for assembly and school board seats. That reapportionment is required after the 2020 census.

Proposition 2 would approve a $65.5-million bond for deferred maintenance projects in the school district. And Proposition 3 would greenlight a $16.5-million bond for a new Central Emergency Services station in Soldotna.

Several service area board seats are up for grabs, as well. For a full list of candidates and propositions, click here.

City council races

City of Kenai voters will elect two new city council members and a new mayor. Victoria Askin, Alex Douthit and Glenese Pettey are running for Kenai City Council. Incumbent Brian Gabriel and Teea Winger are running for mayor.

And in Soldotna, voters will fill two seats on the city council. Dave Carey and Erick Hugarte are running for Seat D. Garrett Dominick and Lisa Parker are running for Seat E. Voters in Soldotna will also have a chance to weigh in on a $15-million bond to fund a new field house at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

KDLL and the Peninsula Clarion been conducting joint forums with municipal election candidates ahead of the election this fall. You can find those forums archived here and a full schedule of future forums here.

Sabine Poux is a producer and reporter for the Brave Little State podcast of Vermont Public. She was formerly news director and evening news host at KDLL in Kenai.

Originally from New York, Sabine has lived and reported in Argentina and Vermont and Kenai.
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