Elections, elections, elections! If you live on the Kenai Peninsula, you have three elections this year in which you can participate. Last week, our tidbit covered the state primary on Tuesday, Aug. 20. This week, we will cover what will be on the ballot for our six cities and the Kenai Peninsula Borough elections on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
If you are interested in running for any office for the Oct. 1 election, the filing period for these candidacies begins on Monday, Aug. 1 and runs until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15. Deadlines are important: In 2020, one candidate filed everything they were required to, except their financial disclosure statement, which they filed one minute late. Unfortunately, the rules are clear, and this person could not run on the official ballot.
If you are thinking of running, you must be at least 21 years old, a qualified voter of the State of Alaska, and a resident of that city/borough for one year before election day. You should double-check this, as some cities might have different criteria.
Here is a list of races in the cities and Kenai Peninsula Borough that will be voted on in October.
Homer: Two city council seats for a three-year term, and the mayor position, which is a two-year term. Go to www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/cityclerk/election-information-0.
Kachemak City: Four city council seats. Two of the seats are for three-year terms, and two of the seats are for one-year terms. Go to www.kachemak.city/city-council-staff.
Kenai: Two city council seats, both for three-year terms. Go to www.kenai.city/clerk/page/election-information.
Seldovia: Two city council seats, both for three-year terms. Go to cityofseldovia.com/elections.
Seward: Two city council seats, both for three-year terms. Go to www.cityofseward.us/departments/city-clerk.
Soldotna: Two city council seats, both for three-year terms. Go to www.soldotna.org/government/city_clerk/elections/regular_election.php.
KPB elections: Three assembly seats and three school board seats will be voted on. These are all three-year terms. The assembly seats and school board seats are in District 1 Kalifornsky, District 6 East Peninsula, and District 9 South Peninsula.
Additionally, there are service area board elections coming up. See the complete list of service area board positions that will be voted on at www.kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections/election-seats.
KPV would like to point out that if you are thinking of getting involved in local government, starting off working with service area boards is a great way to get your feet wet.
We will update this information once we learn if any ballot propositions will be in the upcoming election.
If you have any questions or comments, email us at kenaipeninsulavotes@gmail.com. You can also contact your city election clerks and staff for voting questions or anything related to elections.
Kenai Peninsula Votes (KPV) is a group of citizens that helps educate people about voting. We are strictly nonpartisan. For more information, contact us at the email above.
