As of 5 p.m. this afternoon, 684 ballots had been cast at precinct 1, 711 at precinct 2 for a total of 1395 ballots. (Photo/KCAW)
Voters heading to the polls today for the 2017 municipal elections will find a lot of candidates to choose from. In Sitka the ballot is packed, with seven assembly candidates vying for 3 seats, and 2 candidates running for two open seats on the school board.
Precinct Captain Dorothy Orbison says today’s turnout is good.
“We would expect higher turnout like we got last year when we had a tax proposal to vote on and when we had a mayor also on the ballot I believe,” says Orbison. “So we’re not quite up to the level we were up to last year, but the year before when there were fewer issues on the ballot we had less turnout than we did today, so we’re kind of in-between.”
As of 5 p.m. this afternoon, 684 ballots had been cast at precinct 1, 711 at precinct 2 for a total of 1395 ballots.
This is the first time in two years that voting for both precincts takes place at the newly renovated Harrigan Centennial Hall. In 2015 and 2016, Siktans cast their ballots at Grace Harbor Church and St. Gregory’s Church. “The new building is lovely,” says Orbison. “The lighting is excellent which helps the voters see the ballot very well.”
Polls close at 8 o’clock in Sitka, and in most other communities in our listening area. Kake, Angoon, Tenakee Springs, Port Alexander, and Pelican are all having elections today. Yakutat’s election will be on Tuesday, October 17.
You can tune into Raven Radio starting at 8 for live election returns for Sitka and villages in our listening region.
