With practical and logistical obstacles clear, assembly rejects plan to move elections to November

Municipal elections in Fairbanks will remain in October.

The lame-duck assembly did the sensible thing Thursday, killing Tammie Wilson’s plan to move the municipal elections to November Thursday on a 4-4 vote.

Increased costs, lack of data, testimony from poll workers, public comments in opposition and objections by the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole emerged as key factors.

Wilson complained that the assembly was not listening to the will of the people.

She claimed to know the will of the people, which is that the municipal election should be in November.

“I believe in them and I believe in what they want. And this is what they said they wanted for a long time,” said Wilson, who lost her bid for reelection two weeks ago.

Wilson, who quit her position in the Legislature to take a state job created for her in the Dunleavy administration, always claims to know the will of the people.

Most public testimony, another measure of the will of the people, was opposed to Wilson’s plan.

Wilson suggested that those who opposed her were putting the needs of “government” above the people, another one of her go-to positions. She said this was all about increasing voter turnout.

“This is not about what’s best for government. This is what I have heard from the people. Not just through emails, but phone calls, on the street. I’ve been stopped by a lot of people saying why haven’t we done this sooner,” said Wilson.

She said people would not mind waiting in two lines to vote, that they wouldn’t be confused by having one ranked choice voting election and one nonpartisan election. Voters who would have to apply for three absentee ballots to vote in a city election, borough election and state election would not be confused and would not return the wrong ballots in the wrong envelopes.

Wilson, Jimi Cash, Brett Rottermund and Barbara Haney voted to move the election. The opponents were Kristan Kelly, David Guttenberg, Aaron Lojewski and Mindy O’Neall.

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