Updated Anchorage vote counts Friday show no changes to leaders in Assembly, School Board races

With an additional 7,700 ballots counted Friday in the Anchorage municipal election, updated preliminary results showed Assembly candidates aligned with the current majority holding on to substantial leads over conservative opponents.

There were also no significant changes in Friday’s results for Anchorage School Board races, with incumbents still far ahead of their challengers. All bonds and ballot measures except Proposition 13 appear headed for approval.

Election officials had tallied 48,724 ballots by Friday evening, about 21% of registered voters. There are still many more ballots left to count, as a swell of last-minute voting meant well over 30,000 ballots arrived at the election center on Monday and Tuesday. Election officials had received and sorted about 63,000 ballot envelopes by Friday, and officials were still working to sort more. More ballots are likely to trickle in by mail over the coming days.

In the West Anchorage Assembly race, Anna Brawley had a more than 19-point lead over her next closest opponent, Brian Flynn, who had 38% of the vote to Brawley’s 58% of the vote. In South Anchorage, Zac Johnson maintained a lead with just under 52% of the vote, a seven-point lead over Bronson-endorsed opponent Rachel Ries, who had about 44.5% of the vote.

Assembly Vice Chair Christopher Constant is winning his bid for reelection in the North Anchorage race with 65% of the vote — a 41-point lead over his closest challenger. The only other incumbent in the race, Midtown member Felix Rivera, also appeared on track for victory. Rivera had a 10-point lead over opponent Travis Szanto, with 55% of the vote to Szanto’s 45%.

Assembly-aligned candidates in the two East Anchorage races also continued to hold significant leads. George Martinez had 56% of the vote, a more than 12-point lead over Spencer Moore. Karen Bronga had 59% of the vote, while opponent Leigh Sloan had 41%.

The Eagle River/Chugiak race is the only Assembly race where a conservative, Scott Myers, is leading. He has 57.5% of the vote so far.

In the Anchorage School Board races, incumbents Dave Donley and Andy Holleman also held significant leads over their challengers. Donley had a 58% of the vote in his race against Irene Boll, while Holleman had 54% of the vote in his race against Mark Anthony Cox.

All but one of the city’s bonds and ballot measures, including the school bond, appeared to be passing in Friday’s results. The exception is Proposition 13, which appeared headed toward failure, with 53% of votes so far against it. That proposition would change how the city holds special elections if an Assembly member or mayor leaves office before their term ends.

The next election update will be on Monday, according to the city clerk’s website.

Election results will not be final until certification by the Assembly, which is scheduled for April 25.