2021 Anchorage mayoral runoff election guide: How to vote, Q&A with candidates and more resources

Ahead of the May 11 mayoral runoff election between Dave Bronson and Forrest Dunbar, the Anchorage Daily News invited the two candidates to give their views on key issues and to discuss their priorities if elected.

As in recent years, voting will be by mail and ballots have been sent to voters. For more information on mail-in ballots and voting, visit the city’s election website, which includes an FAQ. Find information on how to vote in person for the runoff here, and a calendar of important dates in the runoff election here.

VIDEO Q&As

1. Do you think Anchorage is moving in the right direction? Why or why not?

2. Describe your approach to improving homelessness in Anchorage. What are some solutions you would pursue as mayor?

3. What is your plan to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Anchorage? Give some specifics.

4. How would you manage a COVID-19 surge in Anchorage?

5. What steps, if any, would you take to revitalize downtown Anchorage?

6. What is your vision for Anchorage’s future economy?

7. National tensions have risen around policing and racism. What would you do as mayor, if anything, to improve or change the Anchorage Police Department’s relationship with the city’s communities?

8. How do you distinguish yourself from your opponent on religious freedom and LGBTQ protections?

9. Last summer, the Assembly banned so-called conversion therapy in Anchorage. Is that ordinance a policy you support? Why or why not?

10. There are voters in Anchorage who strongly oppose some of the policies you have supported while campaigning for mayor. Will you try to build bridges with those people, and if so, how?

TEXT Q&A: Where do the mayoral runoff candidates stand on the issues?

VOTER GUIDE

Mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than election day (May 11) and received by the elections center by noon on May 21 to be counted.

Ballots can also be returned to one of the 18 secure drop boxes around the city, up to 8 p.m. on election day.

Prefer to vote in-person? Two vote centers open for in-person voting on May 3, Eagle River Town Center and the Loussac Library in Midtown. Anchorage City Hall opens for in-person voting on May 5.

Here’s more information on how to make sure your vote counts in the mayoral runoff.

DEEPER DIVES

1. Anchorage is at a turning point on homelessness. The mayoral runoff candidates differ on what to do next.

2. Anchorage mayoral candidate Bronson said the pandemic was ‘over last summer’ and he will not necessarily follow the CDC’s advice

3. Anchorage mayoral candidate Bronson says he would look at ‘cutting just about everything’ except APD, while Dunbar wants to maintain city spending

4. Bronson and Dunbar emphasize differences over pandemic, police and other issues in mayoral debate

MORE RESOURCES

From the horse’s mouth: Anchorage mayoral candidates on the issues (ADN Editorial Board)

Watch: Debate between Dunbar and Bronson on April 28 (Alaska’s News Source)

Watch: Anchorage mayoral runoff forum on May 3 (Alaska Public Media)