With all precincts for Kodiak Island and the rest of House District 5 reported, Nonpartisan candidate Kathy Simpler of Kodiak has 55.44% of the vote while Republican Sheldon Prout, also of Kodiak, has 44.38%.
Simpler, a longtime educator, ran her first campaign for state office focused on improving commercial fisheries, the Alaska Marine Highway System and state funding for schools.
House District 5, which includes Kodiak Archipelago communities, Cordova and Seward, has 13,893 registered voters. Nearly 29% of them, or 4,028, voted in this year’s election according to the Alaska Division of Elections.
Out of the precincts located in the Kodiak Island Archipelago, Ouzinkie had the highest voter turnout with 40% casting ballots this year. Behind them were Port Lions with 34.32% and the Mission Road precinct in Kodiak with 34.29%.
On the Senate District C side, Republican Louise Stutes of Kodiak has 48.14%, roughly a thousand more votes than her closest challenger. Republican Heath Smith of Homer has 39.35% and Republican Carrie Smith of Anchor Point has 11.64%.
Stutes has been in the Alaska House representing Kodiak for 12 years but decided to run for Senate District C after Gary Stevens of Kodiak retired from the state Legislature this year.
As for the governor’s race, the majority of Kodiak Island voters favored Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, the lone Democrat in the four-candidate field. He is currently the front runner with 49% of the vote statewide, but not all precincts have reported as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 4.
Alaska will accept mailed ballots for 10 days after the election, or 15 days if mailed from overseas. If neither candidate has more than 50% of the vote on Nov. 18, the Division of Elections will tabulate ranked choices. The division says it plans to certify election results by Nov. 25.
