Initial results are in for Bethel’s municipal election and for Rural Education Attendance Area (REAA) school board elections throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta.
Bethel municipal election
There are still a handful of Bethel ballots to be counted, but the outcome of the election is unlikely to change. Among six traditional candidates and one write-in candidate running for four seats on the Bethel City Council this year, Alicia Miner, Rose “Sugar” Henderson, Joseph Klejka, and Pamela Conrad will likely gain two-year terms on the council, with write-in votes yet to be verified.
Bethel’s canvass board will meet Thursday, Oct. 8 to count early votes, and review questioned ballots and mail-in ballots. The Bethel City Council will then meet to certify the election on Oct. 13.
Preliminary voter turnout numbers for this election are low – but both of Bethel’s voting precincts saw better turnouts than in 2025. Of the just over 4,000 registered voters in Bethel, just under 7% cast ballots in this local election.
REAA school board elections
As of late evening on Oct. 6, the Alaska Division of Elections was still receiving election results from precincts throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for REAA elections to elect school board members.
In REAA 03, the Lower Yukon School District, four school board seats were up for election. No candidates ran for the Section I - Seat A. But results for five candidates running for Section I - Seat B had Reynold “Papa Joe” Okitkun of Kotlik well ahead of the pack with nearly 60% of the vote, with 4 of 10 precincts reporting. For Section II - Seat F, George Smith of Scammon Bay ran uncontested and won easily against a handful of write-in votes. And in the race for Section III - Seat I, Sheila Minock of Russian Mission was out in front in preliminary results.
REAA 04, the Lower Kuskokwim School District, had three seats up for election. Incumbent Clarence Daniel of Bethel won easily against a handful of write-in votes to be re-elected to Section IV - Seat H. Incumbent Richard Long of Kwethluk ran unchallenged for Section III - Seat E, grabbing around 85% of the vote. No candidates ran for Section II - Seat B this year.
In late September, the LKSD School Board mourned the passing of board member Oscar Active Sr. of Kongiganak, who served more than a decade on the board, most recently as the Section II - Seat C board member.
In REAA 05, the Kuspuk School District, on the middle Kuskokwim River, Dwayne Hoffman ran uncontested for Section I - Seat B, and had nearly 90% of the vote with all precincts reporting. No candidates ran for Section III - Seat G.
In REAA 11, the Iditarod Area School District, three seats were up for election, but only Section III - Seat G had a candidate this year. Kimberly Wortman of McGrath won handily with the district’s one precinct reporting in initial results.
In REAA 22, the Kashunamiut School District in Chevak, Dorothy “Dottie” Chayalkun and Clifford Paniyak both ran uncontested to likely win election to Section I - Seat A and Section I - Seat E, respectively.
There were two seats up for election in REAA 23, the Yupiit School District. No candidates ran for Section II - Seat D. But among three candidates vying for Section I - Seat C, Robert Charles of Akiachak was the likely winner of that race.
The seventh school district in the Y-K Delta, the St. Mary’s City School District, doesn't hold school board elections through a Regional Education Attendance Area.
Like Bethel’s local election, these election results are preliminary. The State of Alaska aims to certify the results of REAA school board elections by Oct. 22, to allow time for mail-in ballots to be received.
This article may be updated with vote counts and the reported outcomes may change. Mail-in ballots can take up to two weeks to be received and counted. If changes are made, they will be noted below.
