Mat-Su voters reject gas tax; Assembly, School Board races show clear leads
The preliminary Election Day tally does not include thousands of absentee votes, which will be counted starting Friday.
What you need to know:
- Preliminary results show Mat-Su voters opposed a proposed 7-cent-per-gallon fuel tax by a wide margin in a nonbinding “sense of the voters” ballot question during this week’s general election. Tuesday night’s tally does not include nearly 2,000 absentee ballots.
- In Assembly races, Michael Bowles led in District 1, Stephanie Nowers led in District 2, and Maxwell Sumner ran unopposed in District 4. In school board races, incumbent Kendal Kruse led in District 2, newcomer Lorie Colee led in District 7, and Brooks Pitcher ran unopposed in District 5.
- Preliminary results show voters supporting prorated property tax exemptions for seniors and disabled veterans by a wide margin. A Meadow Lakes road service expansion measure was also on track to pass. Voter turnout was about 11.8%
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PALMER — The Mat-Su Assembly should not approve a new 7-cent-per-gallon gas tax, according to preliminary results of a ballot question posed to voters during the general election Tuesday.
Early returns show the motor fuel tax vote failing 8,012 to 3,465, according to information released by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough late Tuesday.
Tuesday’s tally includes early ballots but not 1,713 absentee votes. Full results are expected next week, following a count by the canvass board, and could be released Wednesday, borough officials said.
The Assembly, which will make the final decision on whether the tax is approved, placed the question on ballots as a way to gather a sense of the voters. If approved, the tax would apply to all gasoline and diesel sold at pumps in the borough and would sunset in 2027, according to the measure.
Tuesday’s count shows voters selecting Michael Bowles to serve a one-year Assembly term representing District 1, defeating Michelle Heun 1,721 to 949. In District 2, incumbent Stephanie Nowers held a lead of 1,384 to 541 over Dana Raffaniello, also for a one-year term. In District 4, Maxwell Sumner received 822 votes and was running unopposed for a one-year term.
District 1 includes Butte and Sutton; District 2 includes Palmer; and District 4 includes Wasilla.
In the Mat-Su School Board races, Lorie Colee was ahead of Dena McChargue, 1,034 to 691, in District 7, which includes Talkeetna. Both were first-time candidates.
In District 2, incumbent Kendal Kruse led Gage Saxton 1,251 to 751.
District 5 incumbent Brooks Pitcher ran unopposed.
All school board seats on this year’s ballot are for three-year terms.
A ballot question asking whether the borough should allow seniors and disabled veterans to apply for prorated property tax exemptions was passing 9,901 to 1,558, according to early results.
A question presented to some Meadow Lakes voters regarding whether their Road Service Area should absorb new properties was also passing, 354 to 279. A similar measure asking the owners of those whether they should join the RSA received no votes.
About 11.8% or about 11,500 of Mat-Su’s more than 97,183 voters during this year’s election, according to Mat-Su Borough data. That’s about 4,000 more than voted in 2023, the last year in which the elections were not accompanied by statewide or national races.
Ballots in the Mat-Su are counted by hand under a measure approved by the Assembly in 2022 and reaffirmed early this year.
This story was updated Nov. 7 to clarify the timing of full election results.
