By a vote of 6 – 3, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed an ordinance to enact a hybrid vote-by-mail system for borough elections in June. In July, Mayor Charlie Pierce vetoed that ordinance, but the the same six voters of the original ordinance voted to override the Mayor’s veto.
Following that veto, an effort throughout the Kenai Peninsula pushed for signatures to put the issue for voters to decide at the polls. Petition packets were returned to the borough clerk on July 27. After a review, she decided that the petitioners collected the requisite 1,362 signatures of qualified voters.
The issue is now a referendum that will face voters on an October 6 ballot.
If the referendum is approved by a majority of the voters, the hybrid vote-by-mail system would not be implemented. If the referendum is rejected, the system will be effective on January 1, 2021.
On the October 6 ballot, a “Yes” vote will repeal the vote-by-mail ordinance, ensuring that it will not become effective. A “No” vote will mean a failure to repeal the system, making the hybrid vote-by-mail system effective in 2021.