The result of the 2024 General Election was hard for some voters to accept. KHNS breaks down the preliminary Lynn Canal numbers and gets reactions from two voters on different sides of the divide. 

 

On Election Day morning, there was an unexpected sight in Skagway. A Trump flag flew under the American flag outside of the old fire hall on State Street.

Brad Ryan, the town’s borough manager, said he doesn’t know who raised the flag. It was a brief and unauthorized show of support on the grounds of a municipal building. Ryan estimated the flag was up for less than an hour.

According to partial, unofficial election results, 63% of Skagway voted for presidential candidate Kamala Harris and 30% voted for Donald Trump. 

Skagway resident Oden Kouts didn’t vote for Trump, but by Thursday, he was feeling at peace with Trump’s win.

 “I’m a Buddhist minister, and so part of that is knowing that everything has a beginning and everything has an ending,” Kouts said. “And there’s that hope and assurance that this office will eventually turn over to someone else.”

Others in Skagway were not so zen. On Facebook, locals expressed sadness and outrage. Some community members cried and hugged in public.

Kouts said he is concerned about Trump. 

“His patterns of speech, of hatred and lack of compassion, is a worry and projection for so many people,” Kouts said. “If he gets into office, he’s looking at hurting people individually, for their sexuality, for their – whatever it is. And I just can’t see having someone in office like that to ensure suffering to others.”

Kouts said he’ll cope by controlling his own actions and reactions.

Lee Robinson is a Haines business owner. He voted for Trump and was feeling optimistic on Thursday, although he understood the emotion of the opposing side.

“We had two candidates that no matter who won, the other side was going to say, ‘How in the world did we lose to that person?’” Robinson said. “And I think we were just in a unique situation.”

Robinson is confident in Trump’s ability to move the country forward. 

“But I think with Trump’s leadership and with his strength, I think that it’ll be better for our country, for all Americans,” Robinson said. “I think on the economy and on immigration and on those things, I’m hopeful. Probably more hopeful than I have been in a few years. I guess the Biden-Harris administration has been a disaster, and so I was looking for a change.”

Robinson said he is a strong party supporter, and while Trump might not have been his first pick and has some faults, the Republican president-elect has earned his full support. 

Haines Precinct One voted 49% in favor of Trump and 44% in favor of Harris. Precinct Two favored Trump by 51% with 42% of votes going to Harris. Overall, Trump support dropped by five percent in Haines compared to the 2020 election.

Back in Skagway, Mark Larsen has been handing out ballots for nearly five years. He’s the co-chair of the election board for Skagway. On Tuesday, he helped set up the town’s only polling spot.

“I literally go out front and announce that the polls are open at 7 a.m.,” Larsen said.  “I suppose, it’s a sort of ceremonial thing. Voting is important, and there are certain aspects of life that deserve reverence and ceremony.”

Three Skagway School classes came to visit City Hall during the election to learn more about the process. Larsen said any community member who wants to better understand the system is welcome to do the same.

“From an election worker’s point of view, it’s not about the outcome, it’s about the process,” he said. “And believing in the process.”

Election results are still only preliminary and have not yet been certified.