Which will it be: One-party rule in Anchorage, or a balance of power?
The Anchorage mayoral race is down to the final seven days. Some voters are reporting to Must Read Alaska that they have not yet received their ballots in the mail. The Anchorage Assembly has the ballots printed and mailed from Washington State; they were reportedly in the mail from Washington on April 30.
(If you have not received your ballot and are a registered voter in Anchorage, leave a message on this article in the comment section below. Must Read Alaska is seeking to determine the extent of this problem.)
The runoff election ends May 14 — that is the deadline to have your ballot postmarked, in a drop box in Anchorage, or voted in person at one of the in-person voting locations noted below.
When your ballot does arrive, it’s a quick decision: Mayor Dave Bronson or former Assembly Chairwoman Suzanne LaFrance.
Bronson is supported by the business community and Republicans, although the Alaska Republican Party has not endorsed in this race.
LaFrance is supported by the AFL-CIO, NEA-Alaska, the Alaska Center [for the Environment], the Alaska Democratic Party and the dark-money 907 Initiative. Also, she is supported by Assembly Chairman Chris Constant and the leftists who control the Anchorage Assembly. The two finalist candidates were 473 votes apart in the April 2 election for mayor, when 10 names were on the ballot.
Anchorage runs mail-in elections but you can also vote the old-school way, by showing up in person. Election centers open Tuesday, May 7. If your ballot doesn’t arrive in the mail, voting in person is your only reasonable option. Although you have until 5 p.m. May 7 to request your ballot be mailed to a temporary address (if you happen to be out of town), it’s not certain you’ll receive your ballot in time.
The Application to vote at a temporary address will be posted on the Voter Information page around December 1 of each year. Or call the Voter Hotline at 907-243-VOTE (8683) for more information.
Locate a secure drop box for your ballot, if you don’t wish to mail yours in via the U.S. Post Office. The runoff election has nine drop boxes far fewer drop boxes than the 15 drop boxes that the regular election had:
The certification for the runoff election is set for a special meeting of the Anchorage Assembly on May 31.
