AM 890 and kbbi.org: Serving the Kenai Peninsula
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

City council, borough assembly, school board and more on Tuesday's ballot

Hope McKenney
/
KBBI
For a full list of candidates, precincts and polling places, visit kpb.us/vote. Polls are open from 7 a.m to 8 p.m today.

Today is Election Day! Kenai Peninsula Borough voters will choose new city council, borough and school board representatives, on top of a slate of borough and city-wide propositions.

Alex Koplin is a member of Kenai Peninsula Votes, a non-partisan organization that aims to increase local voter turnout.

Koplin sat down with KBBI’s Desiree Hagen, for an overview of what to expect.

TRANSCRIPT:

DESIREE HAGEN: Tell me about the upcoming city election.

ALEX KOPLIN: So this election is City and Borough and even though there isn't much to vote on, these smaller elections are vitally important because they directly affect you because of the things that the city and the borough do.

HAGEN: Okay, so I don't live in the city, and I'm kind of confused about the ballots. I think I get one ballot. And maybe Homer city voters have two?

KOPLIN: The election on Oct. 4 has two different ballots. If you're in the City of Homer, one is for the city and one is for the borough. City residents will vote for both ballots, the city and the borough. On the city ballot in Homer, you will be voting for two city council members for a three-year seat. There are five candidates in this race. The mayor is running unopposed. For those of us who don't live in the city, we will only vote in the borough election. All service area and school board races just have one person running in the Homer area.

HAGEN: I know that there are some ballot measures to vote on.

KOPLIN: Ballot Measure 1, not to be confused with the Nov. 8 Ballot Measure 1 about the Constitutional Convention question, is based on our 2022 Census. Our population growth on the Kenai indicates that we can add two more districts to our borough. If this proposition passes, we will have 11 districts instead of nine, which for our area means that Seldovia, Nanwalek, Port Graham and Tyonek would now become District 10. They would have their own representatives for school board and borough assembly. Proposition 2 deals with a bond package to help with capital improvements with our schools. But those propositions like 1 and 2, the school bond one and expanding the districts from nine to 11, those are big, those are big, and they're not being publicized that much. You can read more about these propositions at the borough website. If you go to the borough assembly and then click on elections.

HAGEN: Okay, so what is happening on election day for our listeners in Seward?

KOPLIN: In Seward, the city of Seward, you'll be voting for a mayor and city council members. All of those candidates on the ballot are running unopposed. In Seward, if you're in the borough, you also will be voting on Proposition 1 that deals with expanding to 11 districts instead of nine. And you'll also be voting on the school bond issue, similar to what we're doing in Homer. So that's a brief recap of the Oct. 4 election. If you need more information, you can contact the city clerk where you live, or the Kenai Peninsula Borough website, or you can ask us questions at kenaipeninsulavotes@gmail.com

Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, Desiree has called Alaska ‘home’ for almost two decades. Her involvement in radio began over 10 years, first as a volunteer DJ at KBBI, later as a host and producer, and now in her current role as a reporter. Her passions include stories relating to agriculture, food systems and rural issues. In her spare time, she can often be found riding her bicycle, creating art from handmade paper, or working in the garden.
Related Content