Election leaders unchanged in updated count a week before certification

Brooks set to replace Bryson on Assembly; property and sales tax cuts pass, seasonal sales tax fails; Whitney, Cullum and Thomas set for school board

Signs at City Hall on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, for early voters in the Oct. 7 municipal election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The winners of this year’s municipal election appear to be set, although the results won’t be official for another week.

An updated count as of Tuesday of 10,152 ballots — 36.24% of the 28,017 sent to eligible residents — shows no significant changes from the last update on Friday of 9,896 ballots. The city clerk’s office on Friday estimated 200 to 400 ballots remain to be counted, meaning less than 150 ballots remain to be tallied if that estimate is accurate.

Nathaniel "Nano" Brooks has 4,753 votes (52.1%) as the challenger for the Juneau Assembly District 2 seat, while incumbent Wade Byrson has 4,370 (47.9%) — a 383-vote difference. The 256 additional ballots tallied since Friday narrowed the gap by 0.4%.

Three open Juneau Board of Education seats appear to be set with incumbent Steve Whitney at 5,231 votes, and challengers Melissa Cullum at 4,901 and Jenny Thomas at 3,901 votes, respectively. Fourth-place challenger Jeremy Johnson has 3,786 votes. The current 115-vote difference between Thomas and Johnson is a slight narrowing from the 127-vote gap on Friday.

Proposition 1, which reduces the property tax cap to nine mills, has 5,102 votes in favor and 4,959 opposed. Proposition 2, eliminating sales tax on food and utilities, is ahead 7,013 to 3,075. Proposition 3, implementing a seasonal sales tax, is being defeated with 4,318 votes in favor and 5,789 opposed.

CBJ’s Canvass Review Board is scheduled to certify the results Oct. 21, but "certification may be delayed by up to three days on a case-by-case basis as may be required."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.