By Alex Koplin

This week’s Kenai Peninsula Voter tidbit is encouraging everyone who is voting to do a couple of things.

First, look at a sample ballot before you go to the polls on Aug. 16. Early voting has already started at Soldotna Prep School, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. And again we strongly recommend that you look at a sample ballot before you vote.

This kind of ballot is not something you have seen before. On one side of the ballot is the pick one open primary. On this side, you will fill in your oval for one candidate for each race. The top four vote-getters for each race will go on to the Nov. 8 election.

On the other side of the ballot is the ranked choice voting for U.S. House of Representatives. This election will determine who will finish out Don Young’s seat until the November election.

You can find a sample ballot by going to the Alaska Division of Elections website at myvoterinformation.alaska.gov and find the district where you will be voting in as well as your polling station. Knowing ahead of time what your ballot looks like is beneficial for all voters.

Did you know around 80% of registered voters in Alaska don’t vote in primaries? Kenai Peninsula Votes believes that each vote is important, so if you took the time to vote in this primary you should celebrate that fact.

If you have questions about this election, you can visit the Alaska Division of Elections website www.elections.alaska.gov or call them at 907-465-4611. You can also contact us via email at kenaipeninsulavotes@gmail.com.

For Democracy to be more effective, we need greater participation; by voting, you are saying, “My voice and my vote are vital for a healthy community.”

Alex Koplin is a founding member of Kenai Peninsula Votes.