The City of Kenai officially has a new election date. That’s after the city council certified the results of this month’s special election during their Wednesday meeting.
Less than 300 of Kenai’s roughly 6,400 voters cast ballots during the special election. That’s a voter turnout of less than 5%. Since the special election day, Kenai’s canvass board counted almost 90 outstanding absentee, by-mail and question ballots.
On the ballot were two propositions, each pertaining to how city elections are administered.
The first proposition asked voters whether the city should move its election date from October to November. The Kenai Peninsula Borough and the City of Soldotna have already made the same change. The new November date aligns local election days with the state and federal election day. Supporters of the change hope holding all elections on the same day will boost voter turnout.
An overwhelming majority of voters – 91.5% – came down in favor of the proposition moving the date.
The second proposition reschedules Kenai’s upcoming municipal election to November and it gives city council members the authority to schedule future election dates. Moving forward, that means there won’t be a need for a special election like the one held this month if the city wants to change the timing of an upcoming election.
That proposition passed by a closer, though still overwhelming, margin, with 84.3% of voters in favor.
Now that the special election results are certified, the city’s upcoming regular election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
