Voter turnout across the Kenai Peninsula tends to be relatively low, typically running between 20 and 30 percent. In the last regular borough elections in 2014, roughly 11,000 of 42,000 registered voters made it to the polls; about 26 percent. This year, that overall number may be up a little. Borough clerk Johni Blankenship says absentee and early ballots are way up over previous years.
“I would say it's about a third again, if not more. We don’t have our numbers from East Peninsula, South Peninsula. In this office alone, I can tell you we voted over 200 people yesterday (Monday).”
That’s at the borough building in Soldotna. She says official results should be tallied within a week.
Blankenship couldn’t offer a guess as to why this year has seen such a spike in certain forms of voting. One of the more divisive ballot propositions in recent memory may have something to do with it. In addition to choosing a new mayor and deciding several Assembly seats, the future of the borough’s marijuana industry will be decided with this election.