Election

by The Associated Press Tuesday, July 13, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Fairbanks city Mayor Terry Strle (sterl) will seek re-election in October. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Strle filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission last week, so she can start raising money. Strle says the city has accomplished a lot in three years, but there's more work to do. City councilman Bernard Gaywood is the only other candidate who has filed a letter of intent to run for office.

Candidates hoping for a spot on the November ballot hit the streets Monday evening, asking for your vote in Tuesday's primary election. Primary elections in Alaska usually draw between 25 and 30 percent of registered voters. The frantic final hours of the primary election campaign are when it comes down to the supporters reminding their neighbors to get out and vote. “We're waving a lot of signs at cars, getting a lot of honks, getting a lot of positive feedback, thumbs up -- it's great,” said voter Peter Barrasso.

An Alaska judge ruled against Republican Joe Miller's challenge to write-in votes in the U.S. Senate race. Judge William Carey writes in his decision that state statute allows flexibility. The Miller legal team argues that a candidate's name must be written in as it appears on the individual's declaration of candidacy. Carey says use of the word "appears" does not mean exact spelling is required. "Appears does not mean 'exactly,' 'precisely,' or 'perfectly,' but rather 'close to,' 'like,' or 'resembles.

The candidate lists for several elected seats in Anchorage will be finalized Friday evening.  People who want to run for Anchorage's Assembly or School Board are required to register at City Hall by 5 p.m. Friday. Six Assembly seats are up for election on the April 5 municipal election, as well as two School Board seats. All six Assembly incumbents up for election this year -- Harriet Drummond, Bill Starr, Mike Gutierrez, Elvi Gray-Jackson, Chris Birch and Patrick Flynn -- are vying to keep their seats.

Mayor Dan Sullivan filed his candidate paperwork for re-election at the City Clerk's office on Wednesday. Sullivan will run against Assemblyman Paul Honeman in this Spring's elections. “I think we've taken a real leadership role in energy and education, two very important issues in Southcentral,” said Mayor Dan Sullivan. Honeman filed his candidate paperwork last week and also ran for mayor in 2009. It will be Sullivan's second-term if he wins the elections on April 3 rd .

Joe Miller formally announced his candidacy Monday for the U.S. Senate. Miller enters the Republican primary looking to replace incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Miller says he plans on using new technology and door-to-door campaigning to communicate his message to voters. State Sens. John Coghill and Fred Dyson, and state Rep. Tammie Wilson have given Miller their support.

Candidates for Alaska's open U.S. Senate seat and the governor's office aired their stance on the issues during a live debate on Channel 2 Sunday night, while their volunteers worked tirelessly to get out the vote. The race is on for the Nov. 2 general election, and candidates are preparing for the home stretch. But despite a blizzard of political ads and signs, it may be the volunteers and their efforts that win the election for their candidates. “For all my life I've been interested and involved in campaigns and politics,” said Scott McAdams campaign volunteer Hope Finkelstein.

by Kortnie Westfall Monday, January 25, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Assembly member Sheila Selkregg said Monday that she will not run for re-election to her seat on the Assembly. Selkregg said she plans to continue to be active in the community, but found that she didn't have enough time to devote to all of her commitments. "I'm a working person. Having enough time in the day to do it all has been challenging for me," Selkregg said. "I think Anchorage really needs to build a non-partisan coalition that advocates for our community," she said.

by Ted Land Thursday, March 11, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- A Senate leader says he's stepping aside this election year after 18 years on the job. Sen. Con Bunde is a Republican who represents South Anchorage and the Hillside. He is also the minority leader. He's been serving in the legislature since 1993 in both the House and Senate. The retired commercial pilot is up for reelection this year and says he will not run because he's unhappy with the legislature's inability to get meaningful work done.

Voters in the Mat-Su Borough elected a new mayor in a special election Tuesday night. Larry DeVilbiss is the apparent winner with 57 percent of the vote over the seven other candidates. Mat-Su officials say there are still 1,400 uncounted votes that include absentee, questioned or special needs ballots. The newly elected mayor has a plan to make assembly meetings as interactive as American Idol, meaning they can follow the debate online and vote before the assembly takes action.

Two weeks after the Municipal election, the Anchorage Assembly certified the results , officially ending the campaign for six open assembly seats, including the much-contested Seat D in West Anchorage. Write-in contender Nick Moe made an impression run at Assembly Chair Ernie Hall for Seat D, however when all the votes were counted via computer and hand-count, the numbers showed Hall with the win by 553 votes. Moe collected 3,745 write-in votes and Hall received 4,298 votes, including question and absentee votes.

The voting may be over, but it could be awhile before Anchorage residents see the final results of the 2013 municipal election. Workers spent much of Wednesday reviewing the eligibility of absentee and questioned ballots. Amanda Moser, the city's deputy clerk of elections, says the ballots for all precincts have not yet been totaled. "There is a total of 120 precincts throughout the Municipality of Anchorage and in the election results, there are two additional precincts," Moser said.

STORY UPDATED AT 1:09 a.m. 4/3/13: Mayor Sullivan's support had mixed results on election night with three out of five candidates securing wins; Hall, Demboski, and Johnston. Sullivan said other candidates had “tremendous name recognition,” and the “Union support, which pours in tons of money and tons of ground support, that's a lot of momentum to overcome.” There was no challenge for Paul Honeman in East Anchorage and Jennifer Johnston in South Anchorage, both ran uncontested and both won with over 80% of the votes.

The Anchorage Municipal Election opens today and voters may place their votes from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their designated polling locations. Voters will elect six Assembly members and two School Board members, vote on four bond propositions, an exchange of municipal park land, and two charter amendments.   The following candidates are running for a seat on the Assembly: Seat A, District 2 (Eagle River/Chugiak area): Pete Mulcahy, Amy Demboski, and Bob Lupo Seat D, District 3 (West Anchorage area)

On April 2, Anchorage voters will have a chance to make their opinions count at the polls. They'll be able to elect six Assembly members and two School Board members. They'll also make a decision on four bond propositions, two charter amendments and an exchange of municipal parkland.   The vote will take place in the wake of the Assembly's passage last Tuesday of Ordinance 37, the new city law that re-structures labor contracts.   Gerard Asselin, the treasurer of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association, says local unions anticipate higher turnout, after some say the Assembly cut off public testimony before its 6-5 vote on Ordinance 37. Dick Traini, who voted against the labor ordinance says the decision could have a heavy impact on the municipal election.

Anchorage's city clerk says early and absentee in-person voting for the city's April 2 elections is in full swing at two locations in town, with a third expected to open in Chugiak Monday. According to a Thursday statement from Municipal Clerk Barbara Jones, voting began Monday at City Hall and the Loussac Library. The Chugiak Senior Center will also open for early voting Monday. While Election Day voters are encouraged to vote at their home precincts to ensure that the proper ballot styles for their locations are available, all ballot styles will be available at three locations in town on April 2: the Loussac Library, the Student Union at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the South Terminal at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

The Anchorage Municipal Regular Election is scheduled for April 2. This year, voters will elect six assembly members and two school board members. There are eleven propositions, four of which are bond propositions. The bonds this year fund educational capital improvements, emergency medical services, and road and parks upgrades. Proposition 4 specifically includes several park upgrades including money for the completion of the Anchorage Veteran's memorial on the Delany Park Strip.

If you plan to vote in the upcoming April Municipal Election, then Sunday is the last day to get registered. A few hours remain on March 3 for voter registration or to make changes to your address or name. The application can be found at the state's website or by calling the state's Division of Elections at 907-522-8683. Last month , 17 candidates filed for the Anchorage Assembly and School Board seats. The Municipal Election will take place April 2, 2013.

The Alaskan Republican Party (ARP) met at their Anchorage headquarters Thursday evening to discuss the fate of their newly elected chair, Russ Millette. About four hours later, the State Executive Committee found that Millette did not perform the duties of a chair-elect and removed him from his newly appointed position. "The Executive Committee are really responsible for the operations of the republican party," SEC Regional Representative Bruce Schulte said. "We have a fundamental mission which is to get Republicans elected, it's important our leadership is up to that task.

If you want to run for office in Anchorage, now is the time to get the process going. Filing for the regular municipal election began Friday morning. The deadline to file for office is Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. People who want to run would serve on the Anchorage Assembly. Election Day for the Municipality of Anchorage is Tuesday, April 2nd. Declarations of candidacy packets are available at the Muni's website .