Unofficial results from the 2018 Mat-Su Borough Election

Unofficial counts from the 2018 Mat-Su Borough election are in.

Turnout at the polls was just under fourteen percent borough-wide, not including two thousand absentee ballots that were issued. The districts with the highest turnout rates were Lazy Mountain, Willow, and Talkeetna.

In the mayoral race, incumbent Vern Halter ended Tuesday with a sizable lead over challenger Bruce Walden. After the initial count, Halter is listed with just over sixty percent of the vote.

In Assembly District 3, incumbent George McKee ran unopposed and will retain his seat.

If Tuesday night’s results hold, both Districts 6 and 7 will have new assembly members. Dr. Barb Doty of District 6 was the only assembly incumbent not to end the night ahead in votes. Challenger Jesse Sumner currently has just over fifty-seven percent of the votes cast on Tuesday.

In District 7 a new assembly member was guaranteed, since Randall Kowalke did not run for re-election. After Tuesday, Tam Boeve of Willow leads the three-way race. She currently has fifty-one percent of the vote. Dan Dees of Willow is in second place with around thirty-three percent. Walter Kloepfer of Talkeetna accounts for about fifteen percent of the votes cast.

All three ballot questions ended the night with more votes in the “Yes” column than the “No” column. Proposition B-1, an advisory vote on whether the borough should look into obtaining police powers, saw the most approval from voters. Proposition B-2 is a road bond package with around fifty-seven percent approval. Proposition B-3 would move the borough’s election day from October to November. Proposition three has the lowest margin of approval after Tuesday at around fifty-two percent.

Absentee ballots will be counted in the coming days, and all results will remain unofficial until the election is certified. The certification is currently scheduled for October 16^th.