fairbanks votes on how it votes

Fairbanks North Star Borough voters will decide two ballot propositions on October 6 that could change how local elections are run starting in 2027. Proposition 3 would require all borough ballots to be hand counted by registered borough voters and would prohibit optical scan counting machines from producing or certifying official election results. Proposition 2 would move borough elections from October to November to align with state and federal election dates.

Former Fairbanks North Star Borough Assemblymember Barbara Haney led the citizens' initiative behind Proposition 3 and gathered the signatures herself, arguing the measure keeps election spending local by paying borough voters to count ballots. Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins opposes the measure, saying hand counts cost more and catch fewer errors. He points to the borough's existing hand audit, under which more than 3,300 audited ballots matched machine counts perfectly last year. No fiscal analysis of full hand counting has been completed.

Assemblymember Tammie Wilson backs Proposition 2, the date change measure. Supporters say many voters do not realize borough elections happen in October. Opponents, including Fairbanks Mayor Mindy O'Neall, worry local races would be overshadowed by bigger state and federal campaigns and that election workers would be stretched thin.

Borough turnout currently runs between 20 and 25 percent. If either proposition passes, the change takes effect with the 2027 election. If the city and borough election dates end up misaligned, the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole would run their own separate elections.