OPINION: Make your voice heard in Anchorage's vote-by-mail election

I urge all Anchorage residents to participate in the upcoming vote-by-mail election. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters March 12 and election day is April 2, according to the Municipality of Anchorage website. Secure drop boxes will open March 12 and Anchorage Vote Centers will open March 25. If a runoff for mayor is necessary, Runoff Election Day will be May 14 and ballots will be mailed to qualified Anchorage voters May 6.

Visit www.muni.org/elections for more information, including how to register, how to vote by email and fax, and to find your nearest secure drop box. Sign up for a tour of the Election Center, located at 619 E Ship Creek Ave., to learn more about how ballots are received, verified and tabulated. Watch a 24/7 livestream of the Election Center during ballot processing. For more information, visit the Muni’s election website or call the Voter Hotline, 907-243-VOTE.

Less than one-third of registered Anchorage voters cast a ballot in the last regular election for mayor in 2021, and 38% of Anchorage voters participated in the runoff election. Low voter turnout may be commonplace, but does not reflect the importance of our civic duty. The tally of votes on April 2 holds immense significance for the future of Anchorage, with multiple candidates offering diverse perspectives and plans. Please do your research, talk to friends and neighbors, and reach out to the candidates and share the local issues that matter to you.

I urge all residents to exercise their right to vote, a fundamental duty of citizenship. It is our opportunity to shape the direction of our community and ensure our elected leaders represent the will of the people. The upcoming election is important because we have a chance to elect a mayor and school board members. There are also several propositions on the ballot for capital improvement bonds: for schools, roads and drainage, trails and parks, a police station, public safety and transit, cemeteries, public restrooms, and public access improvements and parking at Chugach State Park trailheads.

Once you receive your ballot, fill it out and drop it in one of the many secure drop boxes located all over Anchorage, available 24/7 beginning March 12, located at many community centers, middle schools and high schools. Anchorage Vote Centers are located at City Hall, Loussac Library and Eagle River Town Center, and are open March 25 to March 29 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 1 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and April 2 — Election Day — from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All these options are free, or you can put a stamp on your sealed ballot and stick it in the U.S. mail.

With so many options to vote and so much at stake for our community, let’s not allow apathy or indifference dictate the outcome of this election. Let’s stand together as engaged and responsible citizens of our great city of Anchorage. Let’s make our voices heard!

Joel Cladouhos is an entrepreneur and sustainable development activist. He lives in Anchorage.

The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.