I hope you have been having a great summer! The 102nd annual Tanana Valley State Fair is underway and for long-time Fairbanksans that means a few things: the rain is here; school is right around the corner and the Primary Election is approaching! Since we returned from the legislative session, the office has been busy connecting with the community and preparing for the next regular legislative session which starts in January 2027. My office has also been talking to constituents about the pending Special Session and the Dunleavy tax cut for Glenfarne. Continue reading for additional information about how to vote in the upcoming primary election, the status of the ongoing special session and more!
It Is Time To Make Your Voice Heard and Cast Your Vote!
The first of three elections in Fairbanks this year is two weeks away! The Primary Election is an important first-round opportunity for Alaskans to vote for their state representatives and senators, our next governor, and our representatives in DC. In addition to voting for candidates for these offices, there will be one ballot measure on the August 18 Primary Ballot which I will discuss in a subsequent section.
You can learn more about each candidate on the candidate list on the Division of Elections Website. Additionally, for those living in House District 31, and House District 32, you can view the sample ballots for the elections in our Senate District online.
There are several important dates for voters to be aware of ahead of the primary election!
August 3-17, Early Voting.In Fairbanks, you can vote early at the Division of Elections Office in the State Office Building downtown at 675 7th Ave. You can vote Monday – Friday during regular business hours, on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and on Sundays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
August 8, Deadline to Request and Absentee Ballot.You can request a ballot online at absenteeballotapplication.alaska.gov. If you choose to vote by mail, please make sure to get your ballot in the mail as soon as possible to ensure that it gets postmarked by election day. Additionally, please remember to provide all necessary identifiers, and a witness signature.
August 18, Election Day.You can vote in person at your polling place. In Senate District P we have eight voting precincts. You can find your polling place with the Division of Elections precinct locator here.
The Division of Elections has been undertaking voter list maintenance which has caused some voters to receive notices requiring them to confirm their voter information. Before going to vote, I encourage you to check your voter status to ensure that you’re still eligible to vote at myvoterportal.alaska.gov. You can also call the Division of Elections Office in Fairbanks at 907-451-2835 to check your voter status.
No matter how you choose to vote, it’s important to cast your vote on or before election day!
I would also encourage you to be part of the process. There is always a need for an entire staff of volunteers to keep the hundreds of polling locations open for early voting and on election day. Interior Director Amanda McColley at the Division of Elections Office would love to train hard working individuals on how to set up a polling location, accept identification and then accept and even process votes. You can reach out to the Alaska Division of Elections office HERE.
Alaskans will have an opportunity to vote to restore campaign contribution limits. Specifically, Ballot Measure 1 would establish a $2,000 individual to candidate donation limit per election cycle. In the Senate, I have introduced bills since 2022 to implement this same donation limit in response to a 2021 court decision that struck down existing contribution limits and allowed for an individual to donate ANY amount. In the final days of session, the Legislature passed HB16 a version of the same bill. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed HB16, but Alaskans will have an opportunity to do a citizen veto override by passing Ballot Measure 1.
I have been a longtime supporter of limiting spending in political campaigns. Since the Citizens United decision in 2010 there has been historic spending levels on political campaigns. Those who oppose HB16 said that these bills do not go far enough to control campaign spending and do not address out of state spending. I agree with those concerns and have introduced resolutions in the past calling for citizens untied to be overturned either by an amendment to the United States Constitution, or by the Supreme Court overturning the Citizens United case. Until Citizens United is overturned, individual states are very limited in how they can limit out of state political spending. While Ballot Measure 1 does not fully address the long-standing issues with campaign finance reforms, it is an important step to get big money out of our politics.
Are You Getting Gouged At The Pump?
When oil prices skyrocket, there are always questions about oil companies gouging consumers with excessively high fuel costs at the pump. Since the first major oil price shock in 2008, I have been a longtime advocate for policies to prevent price gouging for fuel. I was pleased to read on Monday that President Trump agrees that price gouging is an issue. While it’s true that oil prices are largely decided by international market trends which can change rapidly during times of international conflict, it is important to ensure that oil companies are not using international conflict as an opportunity to gouge customers trying to buy fuel.
During the last oil price shock in 2022, I led efforts in the Legislature to encourage then-Attorney General Treg Taylor and the Department of Law to investigate excessively high fuel prices and determine if Alaskans were being price gouged. Unfortunately, the Attorney General did not pursue that investigation. The next legislative session will be an important opportunity to address skyrocketing energy prices!
On Monday, July 27, the Third Special Session began once again to solely focus on the property tax exemptions for Glenfarne. The previous special session ended on July 16 with the Legislature unable to pass a compromise bill that was drafted by a conference committee comprised of three republicans, two independents and one democrat. The compromise bill failed in a 19-19 vote in the House after the Governor threatened to veto the bill that narrowly passed the Senate by an 11-9 vote. I voted for the compromise.
That version of the bill was the recognized as being the last and final offer the Legislature made to the Governor and Glenfarne. With the failure of the bill, this new special session has not yet met as negotiations are ongoing but behind closed doors and not in public. I feel that any proposal that comes forward would have a difficult time to pass both chambers, especially as many members are looking toward election time, the summer is nearly over and a new Governor is anticipated and likely to shift the policy of this administration in a major way. I was pleased that the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer Editorial Board made their recommendation of ending the impasse and moving along instead of making a hasty and poor decision.
A natural gas pipeline is part of the future of Alaska and I personally support a natural gas pipeline to Fairbanks. Natural gas is currently used to heat homes, produce electricity and Alaska is in awash of this which is a byproduct of the production of our oil resources. Because of the size and relative inexpensive product, natural gas can also be used to produce secondary products, building materials, fabrics and fertilizers because natural gas is a building block of carbon based manufacturing materials.
I look forward to advancing a natural gas pipeline proposal that meets the needs of Fairbanksans, is cheap and will not lock Alaskans in to a risky business proposition with an unknown private equity firm.
Hearings and Public Testimony
The Legislature publishes the next week hearing schedule on Thursdays and one can find them at the Alaska Legislature website HERE. There are also a couple of hearings that directly impact the interior and Fairbanks that are highlighted below.
During the interim, my staff and I work from our office in the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office. If you have any questions about anything going on in the Capitol or at home, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email – as always, my staff and I are working for you. We will assist you with the issues important to you and your family.
Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,
Senator Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Senator
Serving the City of Fairbanks, Ft. Wainwright & Badger Road
As your Senator, I am here to listen and help. Contact me anytime.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
