Voters, poll workers reflect on Election Day

Juneau residents headed to ballot boxes and poll centers Tuesday for the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal election, the final chance to cast their votes.

This year’s ballot includes three propositions that could change city tax structures, four Assembly candidates running for three seats, and five Board of Education candidates competing for three seats.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. Preliminary results will be released late tonight, tallying all ballots received prior to Election Day. Final results will be certified in two weeks.

What’s on the ballot

Proposition 1 would lower the property tax cap from 10.24 to 9 mills. Proposition 2 would remove the 5% sales tax on essential foods and city utilities. Proposition 3 would adjust the city’s 5% sales tax to 3% in winter and 7.5% in summer.

CBJ estimates state that if Proposition 1 and 2 were to pass, the city would lose around $11 million in revenue.

Nathaniel “Nano” Brooks is challenging incumbent Wade Bryson for the District 2 Assembly seat, while District 1 incumbent Greg Smith and areawide incumbent Ella Adkison are running unopposed.

Five candidates are vying for two full Board of Education terms and one partial term: Melissa Cullum, Jeremy “JJJ” Johnson, Jenny Thomas, and Steve Whitney are on the ballot, with Deedie Sorenson running as a write-in.

Voters share their perspective

Simon Taylor, a Juneau resident for 28 years, dropped off his ballot at the City Hall Assembly Chamber drop box Tuesday afternoon.

Taylor voted “No” on Propositions 1 and 2 and “Yes” on Proposition 3, opposing cutting city revenue but supporting the split-season sales tax. Taylor said he wished there were more candidates for the Assembly and Board of Education, and there was no particular contender he was rooting for.

Terry Hoskinson, Juneau resident since 1973, said she never misses a municipal election.

“Oh, yeah, I always vote,” Hoskinson said. “I’m old, so I always vote.”

Like Taylor, she was most passionate about the propositions on this year’s ballot. She said she voted “No, Yes, Yes.” As a senior, Hoskinson said, she is exempt from taxes on essential food and utilities under the Senior Sales Tax Exemption card. She believes the same exemption should apply to all residents, informing her “Yes” vote on Proposition 2.

Eunice James cast her vote at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library vote center on Tuesday afternoon.

James voted “No” on all three propositions. She opposed Proposition 3, saying it deepens Juneau’s dependence on tourism.

“Back in the ’70s, Juneau was flourishing — didn’t depend on tourism,” James said. “Not that tourism is bad, but I think when a community starts to become solely dependent on one thing, then there’s something that needs to change, drastically change.”

Poll workers weigh in

At midday, voter turnout at the downtown vote center was steady, about the same as last year, said Volunteer Supervisor LaRae Jones.

Although all registered voters received mail-in ballots on Sept. 19, many still prefer to vote in person. Jones said mail-in voting is convenient, but it has downsides — if a write-in candidate joins the race after someone has mailed their ballot, the vote can’t be changed.

Andy Peterson, precinct chair at the Mendenhall vote center, said most votes now come through the mail, though some residents remain skeptical of the system. Others, she said, simply enjoy the ritual of showing up in person and chatting with friends at the polls.

Behind the scenes at the ballot center

This election is the first overseen by Municipal Clerk Breckan Hendricks, who, along with deputy clerks, worked from the ballot processing center in Thane on Election Day. As of Tuesday at 2 p.m., about 6,000 ballots had been received.

Ballots are opened through a step-by-step process designed to protect voter privacy. Envelopes are slit open on one edge and turned face down so names aren’t visible. One worker removes the sleeve, another takes out the ballot, and a third flattens it for counting.

Since the envelopes and ballots are separated right away, there’s no way to match a name to a vote.

The process is open to the public. Anyone can visit the ballot processing center to watch through large windows or on monitors showing the secure work areas.

Hendricks says that few people actually come to the center to observe.

“Up until now, there’s only been a couple people that have floated in and out,” Hendricks said. “But it is something that I would like to see: more people here, to educate more people.”

The future of Juneau voting

The Assembly will weigh ranked choice voting for future local elections.

Already used in statewide elections, ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference — first choice, second, third, and so on — instead of choosing just one. The method would apply to races with a single open seat, such as for mayor or Assembly seats.

Peterson at the Mendenhall vote center said she supports ranked choice voting, but that there is still misunderstanding about the system that needs to be cleared up.

“A lot of people come in and they say, ‘I don’t agree with this. I just want to vote for my candidate,’” Peterson said. “They don’t understand that they can do exactly that. They can vote for one and stop.”

Ranked choice voting received strong support from the Assembly earlier this year, but members decided to postpone a final decision until after the municipal election. The issue is scheduled to come back before the Assembly at its Nov. 17 regular meeting.