The Kenai City Council is weighing whether to shift its municipal election from October to November to match the Kenai Peninsula Borough, which moved its own elections after voters approved Proposition 5 this fall.
Although the borough measure applied only to borough offices, it passed overwhelmingly even within Kenai’s precincts, signaling that city residents may also favor a consolidated November ballot. Change to Kenai’s election date would require voter approval because it is set in the city charter.
For years, Kenai and the borough shared an agreement to run their elections together, saving money through shared equipment and staffing. With the borough now switching to November starting in 2026, Kenai’s October election would stand alone and lose those efficiencies. The city could face tens of thousands of collars in cost to run the 2026 election.
A special election to ask voters whether to move the date could cost over $22,000 while traditional joint October election has typically cost under $10,000 for a city that has about 7,852 people within its municipal limits.
