Alaskans, like all Americans, enjoy the privilege to participate in political decisions and determine their own local, state, and national leadership. This privilege not only invests the people with power but also requires public responsibility. People’s choice of local leadership impacts their individual lives the most of any type of election. However, many Alaskans seem unwilling to cast their votes in local elections. Palmer is a significant example.
According to Palmer’s 2025 unofficial election results, the people chose left-leaning former mayor Jim Cooper to lead their city. There are 5,114 registered voters in Palmer. Only 367 voiced their will. 92.82% of Palmer’s registered voters willingly abdicated their right and responsibility to the remaining 7.18%. In other words, the majority of registered voters in Palmer opted for an oligarchical structure where the few voice their will in government, and the many consent to the few.
Palmer’s dismal election turnout is far from unique among Alaska’s cities. Even cities with the highest voter turnouts reflect a similar oligarchical attitude. Haines Borough comes in with one of the highest voter turnouts at 45%. Still, over half of Haines’ registered voters seem willing to trust a minority of voters with some of the most important political decisions for the city.
In comparison, 55.8% of all registered Alaskan voters voiced their will in the 2024 national election. But only 44.38% of Alaskan voters spoke up in the 2022 statewide election. The majority of Alaskans recognize the need to exercise their right to vote when it comes to deciding national leadership. But state and local leadership? The majority’s refusal to vote democratically sanctions rule by the minority.
Natalie Spaulding, a 2025 Hillsdale college graduate, recently joined the Must Read Alaska team.
My experience has been that more public participation does automatically not yield higher quality results.
Most people are incompetent and functionally illiterate, except perhaps with their narrow field of experience. This is a demonstrable fact, everywhere verifiable.
Allowing any drooling moron access to a voting booth has yielded many decades are garbage decisions and garbage politicians. Placing a higher standard on poll access is a critical component of solving the problem.
If you didn’t vote in your local election, then you just gave up your right to complain about the newly elected official.
Well there you have it. And the so called conservatives, who I would guess are the majority of the population in Palmer, will now be the biggest complainers. Will they ever get off their butts and vote? Probably not.
Proof that far too many alaskans are weed smokers, meth heads or opiate addicts who refuse to work for a living.