With one week to go before November 3rd’s general election, Kodiak has already set a record for early voting.
As of Tuesday, Kodiak voters have cast nearly 1600 ballots, with 1,150 of those being mail-in ballots, up 40% from 2016.
In 2016, 810 mail-in ballots were cast, with a total of 2400 ballots. In all, Alaska voters have cast nearly 100,000 mail ballots.
There were nearly 13,000 registered voters in Kodiak’s House district 32 for the 2016 general election. That number has jumped to 14,000 for the 2020 election.
Heading into next week’s election, we also have a clearer picture of how the political make-up of Kodiak Island voters has changed since 2008’s historically-high voter turnout.
On Kodiak Island, voter trends since 2008’s record turnout indicate a community shifting from the Republican party toward the Democratic party and undeclared or non-partisan status.
Since 2008, the number of registered Democrats in Kodiak has increased 7%. The number of registered Republicans, however, has decreased by almost 9%.
But the largest increase is the number of undeclared and nonpartisan voters, jumping 10%, from 5500 in 2008 to over 6000 today.
The most dramatic shift has probably taken place in the City of Kodiak, where registered Democrats have increased 15% since 2008, and registered Republicans have decreased by 20%. Undeclared and nonpartisan voters have increased 18% over that same period.
Registration for third-parties in Kodiak has remained statistically flat, with the exception of the Libertarian party, which has more than doubled, from 39 voters in 2008 to 84 today, but the party still represents fewer than 1% of Kodiak voters.
Island-wide, there are 2,700 registered Republicans and 1,100 registered Democrats ready to cast votes in this next week’s election.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd. The polls will be open on the 3rd, from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, for in-person voting.