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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Mayoral Recall Election Sparks 27% Voter Turnout In Unalaska

Laura Kraegel/KUCB

Unalaska’s mayoral recall election brought 530 voters to the polls.

City Clerk Marjie Veeder made the announcement Friday, after election officials canvassed absentee and questioned ballots.

"That’s about 27 percent of registered voters," said Veeder. "About what we expected, I think."

The final count showed 204 Unalaskans voted "yes" to recalling Mayor Frank Kelty, while 326 voted "no." The City Council is expected to certify those results Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Veeder has asked the state to replace Unalaska’s voting machine. It malfunctioned during the election, forcing officials to tally ballots by hand.

"In the last two elections, it’s been jamming," she said. "This election, it actually miscounted ballots. We’re going to call and follow up with emails to say this is not acceptable."

Veeder has sent the broken machine to the Alaska Division of Elections. The city’s next election is slated for the fall.

Laura Kraegel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2020. She was KUCB's news director starting in 2019. We are proud to have her back in the spring of 2023 filling in as an interim reporter for KUCB.
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