A resident casts their vote in the regular municipal election Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

A resident casts their vote in the regular municipal election Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Borough encourages voters to participate in municipal election

Kenai, Soldotna, Seward and Homer city councils as well as school district and assembly have seats open.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is encouraging peninsula voters to participate in the Oct. 5 municipal election. That’s per a resolution unanimously approved by the assembly during the body’s Aug. 17 meeting that, among other things, emphasized the importance of the right to vote and the security of borough elections.

“In an effort to increase voter turnout, the KPB Assembly strongly encourages all qualified residents of the Borough to register to vote and to be sure their voter registration information is current, to be fully informed about candidates and issues, and to vote by whatever means best suits their needs,” the legislation says.

The legislation, sponsored by assembly members Jesse Bjorkman, Willy Dunne and Tyson Cox, says that voter turnout among the borough’s roughly 51,000 registered voters has averaged less than 24% over the past six elections, with some precincts reporting turnout as low as 4%.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“Increasing voter turnout improves civic engagement, helps establish stronger social connections, empowers the whole community, improves the total health of the community,” the resolution approved last week states.

The resolution comes months after the assembly approved sweeping election legislation that codified the borough’s existing election procedures and was touted as a way to improve the security and integrity of borough elections. That legislation only applies to borough elections. It does not apply to state or federal elections.

That legislation, sponsored by Bjorkman and assembly member Bill Elam, establishes a clear chain of custody for ballots during an election, describes the public testing election tabulation machines, defines the rights of poll watchers and requires personal identification for people voting absentee by mail.

The next municipal election is on Oct. 5, with seats open across the borough on the Kenai, Soldotna, Seward and Homer city councils as well as on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly.

More information about the Oct. 5 municipal election can be found on the borough’s election website at kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Council member Jordan Chilson speaks during a Soldotna City Council work session in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna council mulls change to meeting time

Meetings would be moved from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. under a resolution set to be considered on June 25.

Mountain View Elementary School is photographed on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Mountain View vandalized by children, police say

Staff who arrived at the school on Monday found significant damage, according to police.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress 4th grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy vetoes education funding to $500 BSA increase

Per-student funding was increased by $700 in an education bill passed by the Alaska Legislature in May.

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Job Center is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on April 15, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion file)
Minimum wage increases to $13 per hour on July 1

Since 2014, Alaska’s minimum wage has increased from $7.75 to $11.91 through the Alaska Wage and Hour Act.

Leads for the Sterling Safety Corridor Improvements Project field questions and showcase their “preferred design” during an open house meeting at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Preferred design alternative for Sterling Highway safety corridor introduced at town hall

The project is intended to redesign and construct improvements to the highway to reduce the number of fatal and serious collisions.

Alaska State Troopers badge. File photo
Recovered remains confirmed to be missing Texas boaters; fourth set of remains found

Remains were recovered from the vessel sank that in Kachemak Bay last August.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a meeting of the KPBSD Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
KPBSD issues notice of non-retention to pool managers, theater techs and library aides

Those notices were issued due to the ongoing uncertainty in state education funding.

National Guard members put on hazmat suits before entering the simulation area on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Natalie Buttner / Juneau Empire)
National Guard begins exercise in Juneau simulating foreign terrorist attacks

Operation ORCA brings 100 personnel to Juneau, disrupts traffic around Capitol.

Most Read