Most Alaska localities will have municipal and borough elections on Oct. 4.
Juneau: The Capital Citys municipal election will be mail-in for the third time, but for the first time the city will have it own ballot-counting machines. During the past two elections, officials have flown the ballots to Anchorage and contracted with the City Clerk to count Juneaus election.
Ballots for this election will be mailed on Tuesday, Sept. 13, to all Juneau voters at the address on file with the State of Alaska Division of Elections.
In addition to mailing in their ballots, there will be a couple of secure drop boxes that will be available 24-7 beginning Sept. 19. One will be at the Douglas Library; and the other at Statter Harbor.
Voters can return them by mail with postage. The city encourages getting the post office to hand-cancel that postage with a legible date on the postmark. Hundreds of ballots in last years election were rejected because of postmarking issues. People can also bring ballots to City Hall and the Mendenhall Public Library. More information about the Juneau election at this link.
Charlie Pierce: Tuesday night was Mayor Charlie Pierces final Assembly meeting after five years as mayor. He was planning to talk about his accomplishments as a mayor. Also, it looks like the Borough Assembly is going to swear in former Mayor Mike Navarre for the boroughs temporary mayor, until theres a special election held to finish out the final year for Mayor Pierce. (Navarre is a Democrat and on the Bill Walker for Governor campaign committee.)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy: Dunleavy will be in Homer on Wednesday evening for a meet-and-greet. Hes planning a press conference on Thursday, sources say, to announce what will be an historic Permanent Fund dividend.
Cook Political ratings for Congress:
Palins histrionics: Questions are being asked can candidate Nick Begich in all good faith recommend that voters rank second the person who is calling him Baggage? Or did Palin on Sunday self-immolate? Her Sunday public display has the whole state talking about her stability.
Random stumble: Sarah Palin on Sunday called out MRAK writer Suzanne Downing as a special problem for Palin and kept pointing at a woman in the media scrum she thought was Downing. It was actually Alaska Public Medias Liz Ruskin. Downing was not present at the press conference at the Palin house but sends Ruskin deepest sympathies for the mixup.
Begich v. Palin: Its too late for any of the candidates to drop out but media commentator Ann Coulter has run the numbers. On her podcast, she says that Sarah Palin should have dropped out, as she has hit her voter ceiling:
Events coming up this week:
Noteworthy: Some business leaders who were formerly more aligned with the Tara Sweeney for Congress camp have come over to the Nick Begich for Congress camp, such as Jim Jansen, Rick Fox, Dana Cruz, Casey Sullivan, and Kara Moriarty. Also notable is that a longtime friend and campaign fundraiser for Congressman Don Young has signed up as a cosponsor to a fundraiser: Curtis Thayer, one of the biggest names in the successes of Don Young.
Kelly Tshibaka: Senate candidate will be walking door to door in neighborhoods in Anchorage this week. Next week shell be in Southeast Alaska. Seen above, a rainbow over the Kelly Thsibaka sign on the Seward Highway.
Lisa Murkowski: Murkowski has been spending a lot of time in Ketchikan, her home turf. Shes been visiting schools and firewalls.
Like Loading...
Originally posted here:
Notes from the trail: The push for November general election has begun, but first, local elections are nigh - Must Read Alaska