Strong turnout reported as voters head to polls

This story was updated with additional information at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

At the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, Election Day, poll workers had to call for more stickers.

That’s because there were so many people voting.

“I’m guessing they’re all that way,” Poll worker Nancy Eoff said at the K-Beach Precinct in the sports complex. “We’ve had to call our field worker. We ran out of stickers.”

Poll workers were hastily cutting up a fresh roll shortly after noon.

It’s fun to see busy polls, Eoff said, heartwarming to see people enthusiastic about voting.

“This is what we want,” said Cindy Newby at the Central precinct right next door. “It’s been a good day.”

At nearly 6 p.m., in Kenai’s Precinct No. 2, poll worker Jenn Ticknor said the booths had been “stacked” all day — lines regularly stretching out the door.

At that time, well over 400 people had cast ballots at the precinct and Ticknor said it had been “amazing to see,” in particular, the number of young and first-time voters.

That heavy traffic and enthusiastic engagement, she said, is what all the poll workers always hope to see.

“We do it for a reason,” she said. “We do it because we love it, we love democracy. We want to be here for everybody to vote.”

Poll workers in Anchor Point said that voting traffic had been steady all day. Of the precinct’s more than 2,500 registered voters, 640 had cast their ballots in person by 2 p.m.

That number does not include the questioned ballots and absentee ballots that were dropped off at the precinct earlier today, of which the poll workers said they had “a ton.”

In Homer, too, poll workers said that many residents had cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.

Homer polls in the downtown area of Homer include City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce and the Homer Methodist Church. As of noon, City Hall had about 270 votes cast, “but nothing like what it was like yesterday,” a poll worker said.

Shari Daugharty, working at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, said she has been working elections since 2016 and called this year’s the best turn out of voters she’s seen. Daugharty directed a voter to a pile of stickers as he tipped his ballot into the electric counting box — “you sir, have earned yourself a sticker.”

At about 1:30 p.m. the chamber had about 206 ballots cast. Daugharty noted that the number only indicates “valid” ballots and that questioned ballots in the box or ballots that people brought from home still need to be counted.

In Anchor Point, several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Michael and Rose Butler, who said they were generally avid voters, commented on the turnout so far for today’s election.

“I feel good about the turnout that we have so far. It’s important that every voice is heard,” said Rose Butler. “I know sometimes as Alaskans, they’re celebrating who the president is before our polls even close, so it doesn’t make us feel like our votes count very much, but I still think it’s important that we get to have our voices heard, even here in a small town.”

Michael Butler echoed similarly, that he felt it was nice to see the large turnout in Anchor Point and how many people cared about the election’s outcome.

Matthew Mitchell said that he felt voting was his duty as an American.

“Coming from a military family, I really feel that all U.S. citizens should vote. Men and women fought and died for our rights to vote,” he said. “I wish more people would get out and vote, regardless of who they consider should be the proper candidate.”

Mitchell also said that he’s voted in every election since he turned of age, and he’s always encouraged his family to vote.

“It saddens me when I hear how many thousands of people don’t vote,” he said. “I don’t always agree with all the politics that some of the politicians push, but I do feel that everybody should vote.”

In Soldotna, at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway, around 1 p.m., candidates Jesse Bjorkman, Justin Ruffridge, Bill Elam and Ron Gillham could all be seen waving signs and greeting passersby.

On one corner, supporters of Ben Carpenter, who’s challenging Bjorkman for the Senate District D seat, stood right next to Bjorkman’s mother.

Rex Grob, holding a sign for Carpenter, said he was focused Tuesday on representation that would broaden “freedoms” and protect the permanent fund dividend. He said he also was motivated to vote in favor of an end to ranked choice voting.

“When I voted today, I voted for one candidate in each area,” he said. “I didn’t do any of the ranked voting because I only wanted that one person in.”

In Kenai, close to 4 p.m., supporters of Carpenter, Bjorkman, Ruffridge and John Hillyer stood along the Kenai Spur Highway.

Janell Grenier, holding a sign for Bjorkman, said education was her primary focus on Tuesday.

“Education in our state is in a bad place and that matters to me,” she said. “My kids matter to me — the kids that are in my school matter to me.”

Bjorkman is a legislator who can talk to people and compromise, Grenier said — “that’s what I want to see in a legislator right now.”

An hour later, along the same road, David Brighton spoke similarly. He said he was out supporting Bjorkman and Ruffridge because they approach politics by looking at an issue and seeking “the right thing for Alaska.”

Education, too, he said was the foremost issue on his mind.

“Voting is one of those important things,” he said. “We all need to support the people that help make the laws of the land. I take great pride in making sure I get out and vote, it’s my chance to really add to the political conversation.”

Across the street from Brighton, Kelsey Gravelle, 16, said she’s not yet old enough to vote, but that she had become involved in Carpenter’s campaign as a leadership project. She had brought in friends to volunteer waving signs on the street corner. She said that she hadn’t yet had to solidify her opinions on many issues, but that she was hoping to see ranked choice voting repealed.

In Homer, supporters of Sarah Vance and Brent Johnson stood on Pioneer Avenue on Tuesday. Vance’s supporters could be seen next to the old fire station — out on the streets from early in the morning. Supporters of Johnson stood down the same road, across from the Alibi.