2026 Special Election Information

April 14, 2026 
City of Kenai Special Election

The Kenai City Council has scheduled a Special Election on April 14, 2026 for the purpose of providing for submission to the qualified voters of the City of Kenai, the questions of amending Kenai Municipal Charter, Section 10-1 Annual Election - Time.

Why a Special Election? 
During the October 7, 2025 Municipal Election, voters approved Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Citizens' Initiative Proposition No. 5, which moved the KPB annual election from October to November, aligning it with the State and Federal election dates, to increase voter turn out. While the initiative did not change the City of Kenai election schedule, it did receive strong support from City voters, with 66.5% voting in favor. 

Prior to passage of Proposition No. 5, the Borough and City conducted their annual elections concurrently under a mutual aid agreement, a practice that provided significant costs savings to the City. The KPB election results within the City precincts indicated that City residents were interested in aligning election dates to improved participation and reduce voter fatigue.

Scheduling a Special Election before the City's next annual election is the only way to allow City voters to decide whether they want to align the City election with the Kenai Peninsula Borough and State of Alaska annual election date, prior to the next annual election.

The following two propositions will be before the voters at the April 14, 2026 Special Election:

 2026 Calendar of Special Election Dates

                    _{03/15/26 - Deadline to Register to Vote or Update Your Registration
                    03/30/26 - Absentee In-Person Voting Begins
                    04/07/26 - Absentee By-Mail Applications Must be Received by 5:00 p.m.
                    04/13/26 - Absentee By-Electronic Transmission Applications Must be Received by 5:00 p.m.
                    04/14/26 - Election Day - Polls are Open 7:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m.
                    04/21/26 - Canvass Board Meeting
                    05/06/26 - Election Certification}