Big decisions will be made at the polls

Today is an important day for the Valley.

By the time polls close on today’s municipal elections, the landscape of how the Mat-Su Borough does business could be completely different. We also may, or may not, be a little lighter in the wallet the next time tax bills are due.

At the borough level, voters will decide if we will shift from a strong manager form of government to a strong mayor. A vote for the latter will mean we’ll be going to the ballot box again to choose who will take the reins at the borough. It also has the potential to shake up the Valley political landscape should other local politicians serving in other capacities decide they’d like a run at being the next strong mayor for the borough.

There’s a laundry list of transportation projects tied into a nearly $34.5-million bond question. That’s joined by a pair of school district bonds — nearly $34 million for capital improvements and just over $9 million for athletic tracks, fields and other related improvements.

Both the borough and city of Wasilla are asking voters to exempt them from Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) disclosure requirements for public officials and candidates.

Combined with nearly 30 candidates running for various city and borough offices, there’s a lot for voters to wrap their heads around.

By the time Election Day rolls around, most voters have made up their minds on the issues, but today is a particularly important time to make sure you know what you’re voting for. For example, while the borough and Wasilla both have APOC questions, the borough’s is tabbed “Proposition 5,” while Wasilla’s is “Proposition 1.”

For those still on the fence about the borough’s Prop. 1 — repealing the strong manager form of government — reading the ballot language is a must. Simply filling in those little circles quickly so you can run that next errand or get back to the office as fast as possible is almost as irresponsible as not voting at all.

Which is also why we urge every registered voter in the Valley — all 58,583 of you — to vote. Election turnouts over the past three years have been dismal, according to numbers from the Mat-Su Borough Clerk’s Office. Last year, 24.63 percent voted, which was up from the 17.2 percent who voted in 2008 or 23.26 percent in 2007.

Assuming an inevitable outcome is never a good reason not to cast your ballot. This year, if this trend holds, we’ll be allowing a small minority of voters to make some weighty decisions we’ll all have to live with, whether you support them or not.

There are those who put more effort into complaining about election results without educating themselves on the issues and voting. We’re not naive enough to believe the post-election complaining will ever cease. But on this one important day, put more effort into making sure you cast your ballot.