2,349 More Votes Counted today, No Change

The Review Board counted the outstanding votes from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s Oct. 2 election: 1,910 absentee ballots and 439 questioned ballots were counted today and added to the election results. The new numbers did not change overall results from election night. 

Some 16.76 percent of voters participated in the Oct. 2, 2018 election.

You can read the new election spreadsheet here. These numbers are unofficial results until the Assembly certifies them on Tues. Oct. 16 at 5 pm in the Assembly chambers at 350 E. Dahlia Ave. in Palmer.

This morning, the Review Board began inserting the uncounted ballots through the Accu-vote machines at 10:02 am (Oct. 15). This count came after two weeks of work by the Canvass Board to verify the eligible outstanding ballots. 

The ballots that would not feed through the machine this morning were counted by hand. 

The new tally for the closest Assembly race, for the District 6 seat is:

Jesse Sumner 1,108 votes, to incumbent Barbara Doty’s 842 votes.

In the race for mayor, Vern Halter, the incumbent, garnered 7,785 votes to challenger Bruce Walden’s 4,720 votes.

Willow resident Tamara Boeve will be the new Assembly Member for District 7 with a new total of 1,065 votes, followed by Dennis Dees at 640 votes and Walter Kloepfer at 329 votes. 

In the closest race of the election, for School Board seat District 1, challenger Tom Bergey was ahead of incumbent School Board Member Deborah Retherford by 106 votes at the polls. With the absentee and questioned ballots in, the tally is now Bergey 1,115 votes; Retherford 1,000 votes.

School Board Member Sarah Welton held her lead in the race for the School Board seat in District 4 with 708 votes over challenger Brittany Harvey’s 564 votes.

Assembly Member George McKee ran unchallenged and garnered some 1,278 votes at the polls. 

PROPOSITION NO. B-1—ADVISORY VOTE ON POLICE POWERS

Should the Borough investigate and consider steps to develop a proposal that adds police powers? Any future plan to obtain police powers will require additional voter approval.

Yes 7,793, No 5,247.

PROPOSITION NO. B-2—FIFTY PERCENT MATCH BOROUGH TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS BONDS

The bond package has 10 road projects with the Borough’s portion of the cost at $23.8 million or half the cost. Fifty percent matching funds must be obtained from other sources.

PRO—Improves safety and reduces traffic congestion.

CON—Increases property taxes by $19.50 per every $100,000 in property value.

Yes 7,454, No 5,448

PROPOSITION NO. B-3—REGULAR ELECTION DATE CHANGE

Shall the borough election move from the 1st Tues. in Oct. to the first Tues. in Nov. following the first Monday? (shall it share the same election day as the State?)

Yes 6,935 No 6,062.

Photo: the Canvass Board is Tereasa Thompson, Chair Shirley Mills, Bev Zobel, Hiram Pendergrass, and Aina Werner.

The Review Board is Pam Graham, G.K. (Kinney), and Tammy Irvine. Borough Clerk Lonnie McKechnie and Deputy Borough Clerk Jessica Kilborn helped support the canvassing and review process.

Photos by Mat-Su Borough Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan. For more information contact the Clerks Office at (907)861-8684 or Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.