Election day in Juneau features 3 Assembly races, 3 school board seats and 3 tax propositions on ballot
- Mark Sabbatini
- Oct 7
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Preliminary count of some votes expected a few hours after polls close; final results scheduled to be certified Oct. 21
By Mark Sabbatini and Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with polls closing and details of voting during the day.
Like a lot of voters before her, Katherine Hoke was thinking about the city’s financial situation and that of its residents when she cast her ballot Tuesday evening.
Hoke, a Juneau resident for 13 years, was the last person to depart City Hall after casting her ballot in this year’s municipal election that will elect three Assembly members from among four candidates, three school board members among five candidates and accept/reject three tax-related ballot propositions. She arrived about two minutes before the 8 p.m. close of the polls.
"I was working late and I lost track of time, and forgot that today was voting day," she said, noting she didn’t cast a mail-in ballot because she prefers voting in person.
The outcome of this year’s election is important, Hoke said, because there seems to be a divide between groups of residents, as well as between some of them and city leaders.
"There seems ot be a lot of decision-making that isn’t conducive to the average middle-income community member," she said.
Municipal Clerk Breckan Hendricks said an unofficial first tally of votes received so far will be posted sometime Tuesday night or — if the process is prolonged — sometime after midnight Wednesday morning.
About 4,600 ballots were received as of Saturday, Hendricks said. She said that’s 88% of the total on the same day for last year’s election, but higher than the total on that date for the 2023 election. A total of 10,880 ballots were cast in last year’s local election.
The ballot propositions are the most significant items on this year’s ballot since they may reshape foundational elements of Juneau’s municipal government spending and taxes on consumers. They include lowering the property tax cap to nine mills instead of 12 (Proposition 1), eliminating sales tax on food and utilities (Proposition 2), and replacing the current 5% sales tax with a seasonal sales tax of 3% from October to March and 7.5% during the peak tourism months of April to September (Proposition 3).
City leaders have said Proposition 1 would cost about $1 million under the current municipal budget of roughly $200 million, but more significantly, could impose hardships if the rate needs to be raised to deal with emergencies or other unexpected expenses. Proposition 2 is forecast to cost between $9 million to $11 million, which city leaders could mean significant cuts in some services unless Proposition 3 is also passed, which would add about $11.5 million to the city’s coffers.
Supporters of Propositions 1 and 2 say the city has made unwise financial decisions in recent years and there is room to cut spending, which also will help make Juneau more affordable for residents.
Only one of the three Assembly races is competitive, with District 2 incumbent Wade Bryson facing challenger Nathaniel "Nano" Brooks. Deputy Mayor Greg Smith in District 1 and Areawide Assembly Member Ella Adkison are unopposed.
The Juneau Board of Education is an open race where the top two finishers will be elected to three-year terms and the third-place finisher will fill out the remaining two years of a member who resigned this spring. Incumbent candidates are Steve Whitney, who was appointed to the board in May to temporarily fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation, and board President Deedie Sorensen, who filed as a write-in candidate. Challengers seeking seats are Melissa Cullum, Jenny Thomas and Jeremy Johnson.
In-person election day voting took place starting at 7 a.m. at City Hall and the Mendenhall Valley Public Library, with ballot drop boxes at additional locations around town.
While it was Precinct Chair Andy Peterson’s second time working at the Mendenhall Library’s poll station, she has been working for elections for about 32 years.
She said this election day was comparable to previous years and she expected a total of 600 people. At approximately 5 p.m., the tally of ballots stood at 325 — right on pace.
“There's a large population in the valley here who do want to vote in person, which is why this vote center gets more voters than the downtown,” she said. “They're more likely, probably downtown, to drop it in the box, and out here, they're more likely to want to vote in person. They're big on election day. It's not even come on the 22nd of September. No, no, no, we are coming on election day. I want to see all my friends and be at my polling place.”
Juneau used to have more precincts, but consolidated to the two current sites during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peterson said sometimes it gets crowded in the valley, but the flow on Tuesday was good and they were able to avoid long lines. Peterson said she did notice a good turnout from people dropping their ballots into the box outside.
Besides the tradition-goers who want to vote in person on election day itself, Peterson noted there is also a core group of people “who swallow propaganda” and are suspicious, which she said influences their decision to avoid mail-in ballots.
“It's a very good and safe and secure process,” she said. “A lot of voters are concerned that it's not a secret ballot, that their vote is not private. It is absolutely private. And if they would come out and work for elections and volunteer, they would see how private it is. We really work to keep it secure.”
Curious voters can view the ballot tabulation process through the large picture window installed at the Thane Warehouse, located at 1325 Eastaugh Way. Peterson said anyone can go into the entryway and see where the ballots are kept under “lock and key.”
Peterson said she wished more people would volunteer to understand the process. Volunteers are paid and receive extensive training.
“If you have questions or you have doubts, come in and talk to one of us, and we'd be glad to explain the process and to show you how it works,” she said. “Some people still leave all upset and not really hearing us, but they'll have a chance to ask the questions that they want answered and I can physically show them how things happen and all that…We want everyone to vote and we want everyone to have a secret ballot.”
Brian Sonesen said he had trouble finding enough information about the candidates he was voting for and expressed his frustration. He said he recognized the names of candidates who had run in previous elections, but wanted to know more about the new ones.
“I wish that there was more information,” he said. “They used to do a know about the candidates pamphlet or booklet with some details of where folks stand on when they're being elected. You have to kind of look into that stuff yourself.”
Mike Meersman has lived in Juneau for 23 years and declined to speak about specific candidates or ballot propositions, given his role as a teacher. However, after leaving the valley library, he explained why he thinks voting in municipal elections is important.
“Because we live here and voting is participating in the decision-making process,” he said. “We elect people who make decisions for us.”
Douglas Murray, a third-generation Juneau resident who’s lived here for 55 years, was the first resident to show up at City Hall after polls opened. He said he agrees with city leaders who say this year’s municipal election is of relatively high importance compared to other years — although his thoughts about why aren’t necessarily the same as theirs.
"I think it’s time to curb the city’s appetite for spending the taxpayers’ dollar," he said.
Murray said he also believes showing up to vote, rather than using the mail-in ballots sent to all eligible residents, is how elections should be conducted.
"I think the citizens need to make an effort to vote and I think sending a ballot to everyone out there cheapens the vote," he said.
It’s also election day for most other Alaska municipalities, with several other Southeast communities also voting on tax measures. Haines is considering a seasonal sales tax of 7% from April to September and 4.5% the rest of the year instead of the current year-round 5.5% tax. Skagway already has a seasonal tax of 5% during tourism months and 3% the rest of the time, but a ballot measure would boost the summer tax by 2% while waiving local utility fees throughout the year.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306. Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
