By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Turnout for the first six days of in-person absentee voting in the municipal election is down from the same period last year, City Clerk Sara Peterson said today.
This option is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at Harrigan Centennial Hall through October 4.
Election day is Tuesday, October 5, with Sitka’s two precincts open for voting 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Three candidates are running for the two open Assembly seats: Dave Miller, Rachel Moreno and incumbent Kevin Mosher.
Amy Morrison, the current president of the School Board, and Todd Gebler are uncontested for two open School Board seats.
An advisory question is on the ballot asking whether the city should sell the former Sitka Community Hospital properties to SEARHC, which is offering to pay $8.2 million, the appraised value of the property.
City officials said SEARHC met all of the requirements in the request for proposals for lease or purchase of the property, and the health consortium has outlined healthcare and related housing development on the site totaling $38 million.
The Assembly approved the sale ordinance August 24, and second reading of the ordinance is set for October 12, the first Assembly meeting after the election.
“The Assembly desires guidance from the voters of the City and Borough of Sitka in making their decision whether to sell the properties,” the ordinance says.
Peterson reported that fewer people appear to be using the in-person absentee voting option this year, with 304 casting ballots in the first six days the advanced option opened. That’s down from 517 for the same six days last year, the city clerk said.
Last year 1,417 voters used the advanced in-person voting option, and 305 voted by mail or fax. The 2020 election took place a few months into the pandemic, and before the availability of vaccines.
Peterson said the high number of advanced and absentee ballots last year could have been caused by a number of factors.
“2020 was the first year we had absentee voting at Harrigan Centennial Hall,” she said. “It’s on the traffic route, we had signs on the road to remind folks about it. And I think COVID precautions – people were taking advantage of it because of COVID.”
In the past, advanced in-person voting took place on the third floor of city hall and was not nearly as popular, Peterson said.
“I did get a lot of comments about the accessibility of Centennial Hall,” she said.
More candidates on the ballot, including a mayoral race, may have drawn out more voters last year, she added.
Requests for voting by mail also are down this year, with 107 requests received for absentee ballots, compared to 258 for the same time period last year. The deadline to request mail ballots was September 28, but voters may request a ballot by fax.
Links are available on the city webpage at cityofsitka.com. Those with questions may call the city clerk at 747-1811, or 747-1826.
All ballots not cast in-person on election day are counted on the Friday after the election at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
