Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day, and it’s a big one – for Alaska and for the Kenai Peninsula. Voters will pick their choice for U.S. senator, U.S. representative, Alaska governor and state legislators. Kenai Peninsula voters will also cast ballots for borough mayor and assembly members, school board members and city councils. And that’s not to mention state and local ballot propositions.
When and where
On Election Day, state, borough and municipal polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday will be the first time state, borough and some municipal elections will be held on the same day. Borough voters enacted that change in 2025, and multiple cities followed suit.
Many Kenai Peninsula voters have new polling places this year.
Soldotna voters will cast ballots at the Soldotna Field House.
Certain Kenai voters also have a new polling place. The Kenai No. 1 precinct is at the Kenai Mall. The Kenai No. 2 precinct is now at Kenai Central High School. And the Kenai No. 3 precinct is now at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.
There are three additional new polling places boroughwide. The Funny River No. 2 precinct is now at the Gilman River Center. The Homer No. 1 precinct is now at Kenai Peninsula College’s Kachemak Bay Campus. And the Seward/Lowell Point precinct is now at the Seward Library and Museum.
Alaskans can verify their polling place on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
How
To vote in the state and federal elections, voters must bring one form of identification. That could include a voter ID card, a driver’s license, a passport, a birth certificate or a hunting or fishing license, among others. Voters who do not bring ID, or whose name is not on a precinct register, must vote a questioned ballot, to be reviewed later by a canvass board.
Kenai, Soldotna, the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the state of Alaska all have their own ballots. Federal races will appear on the state ballot.
State and federal ballots will use ranked-choice voting.
If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the race’s lowest vote-getter will be eliminated and that candidate’s second-choice votes will be redistributed to the remaining candidates. That process will continue until one candidate is pushed over the majority threshold.
Kenai Peninsula Borough and municipal races do not use ranked-choice voting.
What’s on the ballot
All Kenai Peninsula voters will decide whether to impose term limits on school board members. Earlier this year, borough assembly members opted to put that issue before voters as a ballot proposition.
If the proposition passes, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s nine-member school board would be subject to the same three-year term limits as the borough mayor and assembly. School board members would be allowed to serve two full consecutive terms. Then, they would have to wait 180 days before running for another term.
In Kenai, voters will consider enacting a new residential property tax exemption. If passed, the proposal would allow eligible property owners to exempt the first $75,000 of a residential property’s taxable value from city taxes. City officials estimate eligible property owners could save a maximum of $326.26 per year through the new exemption.
Who’s on the ballot
Kenai
In Kenai, three candidates are running for two seats on the city council. Incumbent council member Phil Daniel is running for reelection. Former council members Alex Douthit and Tim Navarre are also running. Current council member Victoria Askin is not running for reelection.
All three candidates participated in a forum held Sept. 30 in Kenai.
Soldotna
In Soldotna, five candidates are vying for positions.
On the city council, incumbent Chera Wackler is running unopposed for reelection to Seat F. Incumbent Dan Nelson is running for reelection to Seat B, as is Nick Conner.
Paul Whitney is running for reelection as Soldotna mayor. He faces a challenge from Chuck Winters.
Four of the five candidates running for Soldotna office participated in a forum on Oct. 21 in Soldotna.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and mayor
Seven candidates are running for five seats on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly.
Two of those races are for partial terms.
Lisa McDonald and Teresa Mullican are running for the assembly’s Kalifornsky seat. The winner will serve the remaining one-year term started by Scott Griebel, who resigned from the assembly this summer.
Nate Berga is running unopposed for election to the assembly’s Central seat. If elected, he’ll serve the remaining two years of the term started by Michael Hicks. Hicks resigned earlier this year.
Incumbents Ryan Tunseth and Dale Eicher are running unopposed for reelection to the assembly’s Kenai and Sterling/Funny River seats, respectively. Incumbent Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche is also running unopposed for reelection.
In Homer, candidates Theo Noomah and Larry Anthony are running to replace Kelly Cooper, who is not seeking reelection.
Certain assembly candidates and Micciche participated in two forums hosted in Soldotna, first on Sept. 24, then on Oct. 15.
Kenai Peninsula school board
Four candidates are running for three seats on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education.
Charlie Redfern is running unopposed for the board’s central seat. If elected, he’ll replace Diane MacRae. Todd Brigham is running unopposed for the board’s Nikiski seat. If elected, he’ll replace Jason Tauriainen, who currently serves as board president.
Redfern and Brigham participated in a candidate forum Oct. 7 in Soldotna.
Two candidates are running to replace longtime Soldotna representative Penny Vadla. Jon Watson and Laura Rhyner participated in a candidate forum Oct. 29.
State House District 7
Incumbent Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge is running for reelection to state House District 7 against Democratic challenger Kate Veh. House District 7 covers Kenai and Soldotna.
After the Aug. 18 Primary Election, Ruffridge led Veh by about 48 percentage points. Ruffridge and Veh participated in a candidate forum Aug. 31.
State House District 8
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Bill Elam is running for reelection to state House District 8. He faces challenges from Frank Quinn and Nissa Savage, who are both nonpartisan candidates. House District 8 covers most of the Kenai Peninsula north of Tustumena Lake, including Nikiski, Cooper Landing, Hope, and Sterling.
Elam led the field after the Aug. 18 primary, receiving more than 70% of votes cast. The three candidates participated in a forum Sept. 3.
Other state races
All Alaskans will consider candidates for governor, U.S. representative and U.S. senator. Multiple Alaska news outlets have partnered to offer a guide to statewide races and candidates.
Also on the statewide ballot are two propositions.
Ballot Measure 2 would restore party primary elections and eliminate ranked-choice voting from state elections. The proposition would also repeal certain campaign contribution limits and disclosure requirements for political ads.
The other ballot proposition seeks to tighten state law regarding who can vote in state elections. If passed, the proposition would change state law from saying U.S. citizens may vote in elections to saying that only U.S. citizens may vote in elections. The proposition would not change Alaska’s voter requirements.
Find more election coverage from KDLL on our website.
