In Tuesday’s upcoming election, registered voters in Wrangell have a few choices on the ballot, including choosing the next United States president.
Closer to home, four candidates are running for the Alaska Congressional seat in the U.S. House. They include incumbent Democrat Mary Peltola, Republican Nick Begich, incarcerated Democrat Eric Hafner, and Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe.
Wrangellites get the opportunity to vote for one of the three candidates running for Alaska State House District 1, which serves Ketchikan, Wrangell and Metlakatla. They include Republican Jeremy Bynum; and Nonpartisans Grant Echohawk and Agnes Moran. The winner will replace independent Dan Ortiz, who is not running again.
Ballot measures
Additionally, there are two ballot measures that Alaskans can vote on.
Ballot Measure 1 would increase Alaska’s minimum wage from $11.73 per hour to $15 per hour by 2027. After that, it would increase annually depending on inflation rates.
It would also be mandatory for employers to pay employees about a week’s worth of sick leave per year. And it would ban employers from requiring employees to attend religious and political forums.
Alaskans also get to vote on Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal open primaries and ranked-choice voting. If the majority of votes are “yes,” it would shift Alaska elections back to how the ballots were before 2022, when Alaska voters approved ranked-choice voting. This means that political parties would dominate the primaries again and voters would vote for only one candidate per race.
As it stands now, voters can rank who they prefer, no matter what party the candidate identifies with.
Voting takes place at Wrangell’s Nolan Center on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Additionally, early voting is available until 4 p.m. Monday in the Assembly Chambers at Wrangell City Hall.
