Spectrum: Lack of voter participation is abysmal

I currently serve as the Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman for District 3. In my district in the 2015 election, only 17 percent of the registered voters cast ballots. For the borough at large during the last several years, the average turnout of registered voters has been about 12 percent (except for the marijuana vote in 2016 which was about 28 percent). This lack of voter participation is abysmal – and voter participation is not a partisan issue. During the same period, the vote in the federal/state elections in November averaged more than 32 percent -- which approaches 300 percent more turnout than the local vote. No responsible person has argued that combining the local Mat-Su elections with the federal/state elections in November would not substantially increase voter turnout. A recent op-ed by Assemblywoman Doty says that the current combined local election system has “run smoothly for years.” If running smoothly refers to the 12 percent participation rate – I would beg to differ. At that rate, our local election system is practically dead.

Those that claim that it is against State law to combine the elections have apparently not checked the statute. AS29.26.040 (municipal elections) stipulates that “The date of a regular election is the first Tuesday of October annually unless a different date or interval of years is provided by ordinance by borough assembly. In addition, the Borough Attorney is required by law to review for legality all petitions before they are put before the public vote. He approved the petition.

The op-ed referenced above suggests that mail-in ballots may be the wave of the future. However, Anchorage mail-in ballots went more than a million dollars over budget and generated, to put it mildly, much confusion. Some voters received more than one ballot, some received none, and some received ballots addressed to people who had not lived at that address in years. The possibilities for confusion, invalid ballots, or outright fraud are seemingly endless.

Finally, I take offense to the argument that voters are essentially not smart enough to handle this change. The op-ed says that “Mixing local … concerns with the national and statewide …debates can confuse the facts and dilute the importance of local government.” I am convinced that the voters can differentiate between local and general election issues. I will be voting Yes on B3.

George McKee, of Wasilla, is on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.