By Gretchen Wehmhoff

Registration to become a candidate for the assembly or school board in the Oct. 1 election opens Monday, July 29. Two assembly seats and two school board seats will be on the ballot.

School board president Cory Thole’s and member Melinda Munson’s terms expire in October of this year.  Assemblymember Jay Burnaham’s and Vice-Mayor Deb Potter’s terms also expire in October.

Interested residents must be qualified to vote in this coming election and file a sworn declaration of candidacy with the clerk’s office in city hall by the end of business on Monday, Aug.12, 2024.

To file the declaration of candidacy at the borough clerk’s office you will need to supply your full name; your full residence address; your full mailing address and a statement that you meet each of the requirements for persons qualified to vote in this particular election.

You will also need to indicate which office you will be seeking, the number of years in the term to be filled and a request that your name be printed on the official ballot.

A link to the municipal election code is available here. 

If a person misses the Aug.12 deadline and still wishes to run for office, they can file as a write-in candidate by submitting a letter of intent to the borough clerk no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 27. 

Candidates may need to file financial disclosures with Alaska Public Offices Commission. Per municipal code, the election is set for the first Tuesday in October. This year it is Oct. 1.  Absentee ballots can be requested with this form or on the municipal website under forms.