Juneau’s latest elections have become pivotal for the cruise industry after a petition to ban large cruise ships from the city once a week made it to the ballot.
Preliminary results have revealed that most residents are against it.
Should the proposal dubbed “ship-free Saturdays” be approved by the majority, cruise vessels carrying 250 or more passengers will not be allowed to dock in Juneau on all Saturdays of the year and the Fourth of July.
But if the initial tallies are any indication of what’s to follow, cruise operators can breathe a sigh of relief.
The Alaskan capital began counting votes Tuesday evening and has since logged 6,525 ballots, representing 23.21% of the ballots sent to voters.
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Sixty percent (3,873) voted against ship-free Saturdays, while 40% (2,586) were in favor, resulting in a difference of 1,287 votes.
Campaigns Rally Residents To Take Sides
Various campaigns were launched to rally residents’ votes before municipal elections took place on October 1.
According to the local publication Juneau Empire, opponents of the measure, which included representatives from the cruise and tourism industries, spent around $750,000 before the elections. Meanwhile, supporters of ship-free Saturdays reportedly raised about $380.
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Last June, another policy to manage cruise-related congestion and maintain people’s quality of life was approved.
In cooperation with the cruise industry, the city agreed that the maximum number of lower berths (passenger beds on a vessel) allowed to dock would be 16,000 per day beginning in 2026. On Saturdays, that figure would be even lower, at 12,000 lower berths.
Portland Sarantopoulous managed the campaign on behalf of Protect Juneau’s Future, the group against ship-free Saturdays.
She interpreted the initial outcome as a sign that locals want the policies in place to work. “It’s clear that Juneau voters are really trying to give the current plans to manage tourism and manage the growth of tourism a chance,” Sarantopoulos told the news outlet.
However, these tallies are far from final. The city clerk will share another update on October 4 and the final results on October 11.
Juneau is a frequent highlight of Alaskan cruises. In 2023, the capital hosted a record-breaking 1.6 million cruise ship passengers.
