Borough reapportionment election Tuesday

MAT-SU -- Valley voters will be called on Tuesday to make their wishes known on the proposed reapportionment plan for Mat-Su Borough Assembly representation.

The plan, passed last year by the assembly, divides the Mat-Su Borough into seven assembly districts. The assembly, along with the Mat-Su Borough Reapportionment Advisory Committee that was appointed for the occasion, worked through September and October to come up with a plan to adjust the lines of Valley assembly districts to compensate for population increases throughout the borough.

Tuesday's election is not, said Borough Clerk Sandra Dillon, about the statewide redistricting plan that is now being battled in Anchorage Superior Court.

"This is [an election regarding] changing the borough assembly boundaries only," Dillon said. "There are minor changes in the [assembly] boundaries."

Dillon said her office has also been getting calls from residents wondering whether the election involves the recall of any elected borough official. It doesn't, Dillon said. No recall petitions have been turned in, so it's likely borough residents won't see a recall election at all.

"The recall of [Borough Mayor Tim] Anderson and [Assemblywoman Kelly Lankford] Ladere have not been filed," Dillon said.

The upcoming ballot will only address the issue of reapportionment. Because the 2000 census showed the borough's population within assembly districts has changed significantly, the borough had to adopt a new plan of assembly representation in order to ensure fair representation throughout the area. The plan that was ultimately chosen keeps boundaries in a similar area to where they now are, although changes were made to compensate for growth in certain areas, such as Meadow Lakes.

Dillon said maps of the old assembly districts and the new reapportionment plan will be available at the polling places, and are also available at the borough's Web site, at www.co.mat-su.ak.us. The maps at that site, Dillon said, are helpful and easy to navigate.

"It offers zoom-in features if they're looking at a particular area," Dillon said.

Absentee-in-person polling places are available for those who would rather not head to their polling place on Tuesday. Valley voters can cast their ballots at Cottonwood Creek Mall today from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They can also vote at the Borough Building in Palmer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday or Monday. Polling places around the Valley will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday for regular voting.

Already, Dillon said, more than 151 people have requested ballots to be sent to them for the election -- nearly triple the amount of requests for absentee ballots than were received in the 2001 borough election.

For more information about the election, or to find out the location of a polling place, people may contact the clerk's office at 745-4801.