September 25, 2025 Seward Folly

Opinion piece by Cathleen Rolph

Vote NO on Proposition 1

Free, fair, and accessible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. The voter initiative, Proposition 1, on the Kenai Peninsula Borough October 7 ballot, asking voters to do away with voting machines, is misleading and has serious consequences. Voting systems in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and all of Alaska already meet strict standards for security, accuracy, transparency, and accessibility, with paper ballots and audit trails to verify results. (See Borough Code of Ordinances Chapter 4.6 Election Integrity and Security.)

The fact is that numerous studies and actual real-world efforts have shown that hand counting introduces a significantly high rate of error. Scrapping machines in favor of hand counting undermines election integrity and efficiency, rather than strengthening them.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough and the State of Alaska have strong, tested measures to ensure voting equipment is secure. The League of Women Voters stands firmly for secure, modern systems that protect every vote and uphold public trust in our democracy. Vote “no” on Prop. 1 on October 7.

Cathleen Rolph
President, League of Women Voters of the Kenai Peninsula
alaskalwv.org/kenai/