Mat-Su Borough finds error in ballot

MAT-SU -- Voters in the upcoming election may not catch it, but the Mat-Su Borough election ballots will contain an error in the title of the 2-percent sales tax proposal.

Mat-Su Borough Clerk Sandra Dillon, according to information provided by the borough, found the error recently in the title of Proposition No. 1 that was printed on the ballot for the Oct. 2 borough election, and that appeared in the borough's notice of election.

The title reads "Areawide tax limitation: Two percent areawide sales tax (boroughwide, including cities)."

Earlier this year, assembly members debated over the sales tax proposal and over a proposed property tax cap that would accompany the proposal on the ballot. The assembly members decided unanimously to jettison the tax cap wording after finding they were unable to guarantee the tax cap would remain in effect after they themselves were out of office.

Although the assembly later passed a resolution that would put into effect an 11-mill property tax cap if the sales tax measure passed, the body agreed that no reference to the property tax cap or tax limitation would be placed on the ballot or in ballot language explaining the tax cap proposal.

The reference to a tax limitation was deleted from the proposition question itself, but, according to borough information, the reference to the limitation was kept in the proposition title by mistake.

The error was found after ballots were printed, and after some ballots were distributed for absentee and early voting. The error also was found too late for new ballots to be printed before the election.

Wednesday, the borough clerk's staff began marking out the incorrect part of the proposition title on all ballots that are issued to voters, so that the title will read correctly as "Two percent areawide sales tax (boroughwide, including cities)."

Corrected ballots also will be mailed to all absentee voters to whom ballots were mailed before Wednesday.

In each case in which one of those absentee voters submits a new ballot, it will be counted instead of any ballot that the absentee voter cast earlier. Ballots issued before Wednesday and cast by other absentee voters, or early voters, will be held and counted separately during ballot counting after the election.

Legal counsel has, according to information provided by the borough, advised the borough clerk that the corrective measures described will resolve the issue of the incorrect proposition title, and the election on Proposition No. 1 will proceed on Oct. 2 as scheduled.

Dillon was not available for comment Wednesday.