Alaska Elections

There’s less than a week left to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election. The deadline is this Sunday, Oct. 6.

Here’s what to know about voting for candidates for state and federal office next month.

Still have questions after reading this guide? Fill out the form at the bottom of this page and we’ll do our best to answer your questions. We’ll keep this page updated through Election Day.

What’s this election for?

On Nov. 5, all voters across the state will have a chance to rank their choices for president and Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat. Plus, voters will also rank candidates in their local state House and Senate races.

Even beyond the presidency, it’s an election with high stakes — control of Congress and the state Legislature is up for grabs. Half of the state Senate is up for election this year, and all of the state House.

There will also be two propositions on the statewide ballot:

• Ballot Measure 1 would increase the state minimum wage from $11.73 to $15 an hour by 2027 and allow workers to earn sick leave.
• Ballot Measure 2 would eliminate ranked choice voting and the state’s top-four nonpartisan open primary system.

Where can I learn more about the candidates?

For a rundown of the candidates on the ballot, the nonprofit Alaska Beacon has a voter guide with candidate questionnaires and other resources. Candidates also file official statements with the Division of Elections, and you can read or listen to those at the division’s website.

The division also mails its Official Election Pamphlet with information about the candidates to “every voter household” ahead of Election Day. The pamphlets are also available online — look for “General Official Election Pamphlet.” (The digital pamphlets are specific to your Division of Elections region. Check this document to determine what region you’re in.)

For more on the U.S. House race, Alaska Public Media is hosting a debate between the top two candidates, incumbent Mary Peltola and Nick Begich III, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10. There’s more information here on how to tune in.

How do I register to vote?

Alaska offers online registration, but voters have to register 30 days before the election for most races. (You can register on Election Day, but if you do, you’ll only be able to vote for president.)

This year, the voter registration deadline is Sunday, Oct. 6.

The easiest way for most people to register is by visiting voterregistration.alaska.gov. All you need is a current Alaska driver’s license or state ID card to register or update your information. Many people register online while applying for their Permanent Fund dividends at the beginning of the year. There’s no harm in registering more than once.

If you don’t have a state ID card or driver’s license, you can register using a paper form (read the instructions on the back!) and either mail it to the Division of Elections or register in person at a Division of Elections office, a Division of Motor Vehicles office, a city or borough clerk’s office, a public library, or some other state offices listed at the Division of Elections’ website. You must hand-write your signature if using a paper form — no e-signatures.

Division of Elections offices are open during regular business hours. They’re also open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, the registration deadline, for people who would like to register in person.

To register, you must be a U.S. citizen, an Alaska resident and 18 years of age or older on Election Day. You must not be registered in another state, unless you’re willing to cancel your registration in that state.

You also must not have been convicted of a felony of “moral turpitude” — violent crimes, fraud and others that appear on a state-maintained list — unless your voting rights have been restored. The ACLU of Alaska has additional resources at its website for people convicted of crimes. Misdemeanor convictions do not disqualify you from voting.

How can I find my polling place or check on my voter registration?

The Division of Elections’ My Voter Portal allows you to look up your current registration information. Make sure you’re registered at your current address.

The portal also lists the name and address of your polling location. On Election Day, Nov. 5, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You can access the portal at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

What do I need to bring to the polling place?

To vote, you need to bring an ID. That can include a driver’s license or state ID card, a military ID, a voter registration card, a hunting or fishing license, a birth certificate or a utility bill, government check, bank statement, paycheck or another government document that includes the voter’s name and current address, according to the Division of Elections.

Will I be automatically mailed a ballot?

No. You will not be mailed a ballot unless you request an absentee ballot.

This is different from municipal elections in communities that conduct elections entirely by mail, including Anchorage and Juneau. You will not be mailed a ballot for the Nov. 5 election unless you specifically request one.

How can I request a mail ballot?

Alaska is a no-excuse absentee voting state, which means voters don’t have to give a specific reason for voting by mail. Everyone can vote by mail.

If you have a valid Alaska driver’s license or state ID card, you can request an absentee ballot online at absenteeballotapplication.alaska.gov. Paper absentee ballot applications are available at the Division of Elections’ absentee and early voting page. Advocacy groups and campaigns also often mail applications to voters as a convenience as part of their get-out-the-vote effort; you only need to submit one absentee ballot application.

The deadline to request an absentee-by-mail ballot is Oct. 26. You must also be registered to vote by Oct. 6, the registration deadline.

Ballots are mailed to people who request them starting “approximately 25 days” prior to the election, according to the Division of Elections, but they may be mailed sooner. This year, 25 days before the election is Oct. 11.

Ballots must be postmarked at a post office or dropped off at a polling location by Election Day, Nov. 5.

You can check the status of your absentee ballot using the My Voter Portal at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

Special provisions are made for military, overseas and other voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. There’s more information about military and overseas voting at the Division of Elections’ website.

What about early voting?

Early voting starts 15 days before Election Day. This year, early voting starts Oct. 21.

In some locations, only a form of early voting called “absentee-in-person” voting is available. It is very similar to ordinary early voting.

A list of early voting and absentee-in-person voting locations is available at elections.alaska.gov/avo. The hours of operation vary by location.

When will we know the election results?

The first batch of results is expected around 9 p.m. on Election Day, with updates through the evening and possibly into the early morning hours as additional ballots are counted. The initial results will reflect voters’ first-choice votes.

Because absentee ballots can arrive as late as 15 days after Election Day, counting will continue as additional votes trickle in. The Division of Elections will post updated counts on Nov. 13, Nov. 15 and Nov. 20.

The Division of Elections plans to calculate the winners of the ranked choice election on the 15th day after Election Day, Nov. 20, once all ballots are counted. This is necessary to determine the winners of races where no candidate got more than 50% of the first-choice vote — it’s like an automatic runoff election.

The results will remain unofficial until they’re certified by the State Review Board. The target date for certification is Nov. 30.

Still have questions? Write them in the box below and Alaska Public Media will try to get them answered. 

Last updated: Oct. 1, 2024

Officials with the U.S. Postal Service intercepted a threatening envelope sent to the Alaska Division of Elections on Tuesday, one of a number of similar packages sent to elections officials in other states, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced.

Dahlstrom, who oversees elections work in the state, said in a written statement that the Postal Service notified the division that it had been targeted and that postal inspectors had seized a suspicious envelope and its contents for further investigation.

Further details about the Alaska-bound envelope were not immediately available.

Similar suspicious envelopes have been reported by elections officials in several states. In Nebraska, officials described a large yellow envelope containing white powder and whose sender was identified as the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.”

That description was confirmed by Iowa officials, who briefly evacuated a public building after receiving a similar envelope. In Kansas, a suspicious envelope and a suspicious package prompted evacuations on Monday.

No illnesses or other physical harm has been reported in connection with any of the packages. In Oklahoma, officials said a white substance contained within a threatening envelope turned out to be flour.

No evacuations have taken place in Alaska.

“Our democracy is founded on the principle that every voice matters and every vote counts. Acts of intimidation, harassment, or violence undermine these core values and erode the trust in our electoral process,” Dahlstrom said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting our election workers and ensuring a safe and secure environment for them to carry out their duties. I urge everyone to respect the election process and those who make it possible. Threatening behavior, in any form, will be addressed swiftly and with the full force of the law.”

The Alaska Supreme Court has affirmed the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Hafner, a Democrat imprisoned in New York state.

The court, in a split 4-1 decision, upheld Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles’ decision to dismiss a lawsuit by the Alaska Democratic Party that had challenged Hafner’s eligibility.

The decision means Hafner will appear on the November U.S. House ballot alongside incumbent Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, Republican challenger Nick Begich, and Alaskan Independence Party challenger John Wayne Howe.

It also means that election preparations, including ballot printing and distribution, will continue on a previously published schedule.

“We would just thank the Supreme Court for issuing a decision on such short notice and preventing any disruption to the election,” said Solicitor General Jessie Alloway, assistant attorney general Thomas Flynn and assistant attorney general Kate Demarest, who opposed the lawsuit on behalf of the Alaska Division of Elections.

Under Alaska’s elections system, the top four finishers from the primary election advance to the general election. Hafner finished sixth, but two higher-finishing Republicans withdrew from the race, allowing Hafner to advance.

The Democratic Party sued, arguing that state law prohibited the elections division from replacing two withdrawn candidates.

The party also argued that Hafner was ineligible because the U.S. Constitution requires a candidate to be an inhabitant of the relevant state when elected to the House. Hafner is serving a 20-year prison sentence for threatening public officials in New Jersey and is not scheduled for release until 2036.

Wheeles rejected the party’s arguments, and the Democratic Party appealed the state-law issue to the Supreme Court, which took up the issue on an emergency basis.

The Alaska Republican Party intervened on the side of elections officials, seeking to preserve their decision to promote Hafner.

The court heard oral arguments Thursday morning and issued a summary decision hours later, stating that the lower court decision was correct. A full legal opinion will be published at a later date.

Democratic Party officials said they were disappointed with the outcome.

“Unsurprisingly, the Alaska Republican Party publicly supports the decision that a convicted felon who is running his campaign from a prison cell in New York should appear on Alaska’s ballot as a candidate for federal office,” said Mike Wenstrup, Chair. “This ruling sets a dangerous precedent and is embarrassing for our state.”

The issue may have implications for this year’s U.S. House race. The Alaska Democratic Party is supporting Peltola, and attorneys representing the party said in oral arguments that some voters could be confused by the presence of two Democrats on the ballot.

Peltola is believed to be in a close race with Begich, and some Democrats worry that Hafner could act as a spoiler by siphoning votes from Peltola.

Wheeles addressed and rejected that argument, noting that Alaska’s ranked choice general election allows voters to list multiple preferred options, and any voter who lists Hafner alone is making a deliberate choice.

In oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court, ADP attorney David Fox said the plain language of the state’s elections law allows only the fifth-place primary-election finisher to advance if a higher-finishing candidate withdraws after the primary.

That argument was rebutted by Demarest and attorney Richard Moses, representing the Alaska Republican Party.

Both said that the language of surrounding law, plus existing case law, makes it clear that the intent of the law is to allow the division of elections to fill the “final four.”

If a second candidate withdraws, the sixth-place finisher becomes the fifth-place candidate, and thus eligible for promotion into the final four, they said.

In a sworn affidavit, elections director Carol Beecher said that with draft ballots already printed and equipment undergoing testing, any ballot redesign would delay the mailing of blank ballots to international voters.

That mailing, required by federal law, must take place by Sept. 21. Because that’s a Saturday, the division must mail about 3,500 ballots by Sept. 20, officials said.

Additionally, about 700,000 ballots will be printed for the general election, a process that must begin early because it takes two and a half weeks.

The Alaska Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday morning in a lawsuit seeking to remove Eric Hafner, an imprisoned, out-of-state Democrat, from the state’s November election ballot.

Under Alaska’s elections system, the top four finishers in the August primary election advance to the general election ballot. Hafner, who finished sixth, was promoted to the top four by the Alaska Division of Elections after two higher-finishing Republicans withdrew.

The Alaska Democratic Party challenged the division’s decision in court, and on Tuesday, a Superior Court judge dismissed the case, ruling strongly in favor of the Division of Elections.

Judge Ian Wheeles found that removing Hafner would require the division to redesign the election ballot, possibly delaying the federally mandated mailing of ballots to international voters.

That potential harm is greater than any harm caused by Hafner’s presence on the ballot, Wheeles said.

Wheeles concluded that Hafner, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for threatening to kill public officials in New Jersey, has the Constitutional right to run for office, even if he is ineligible to serve.

For U.S. House candidates, the U.S. Constitution requires that a candidate be an inhabitant of the relevant state. Attorneys representing the Alaska Democratic Party argued that Hafner, who is not scheduled for release until 2036, cannot be an inhabitant as required.

After losing in lower court, the party filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court, which granted it Wednesday.

The Alaska Department of Law, representing the Division of Elections, is ready to defend the state again, a spokesperson said.

“The Superior Court found the Division of Elections correctly applied Alaska law and the U.S. Constitution. The Department of Law is preparing to defend this decision in the emergency appeal to prevent any disruption to the general election,” said spokesperson Patty Sullivan.

Alaska Democratic Party executive director Lindsay Kavanaugh said the party is pleased that the Alaska Supreme Court is acting quickly.

“Hafner is not our candidate and as a non-Alaskan incarcerated until 2036, he has no business being on Alaska’s ballot,” she said.

She said the state’s decision to print ballots with the issue unresolved is “another nonsensical decision made, and it’s a tired defense.”

“Election integrity also includes having candidates on the ballot that can actually take office and serve Alaskans,” she said.

The Alaska Republican Party intervened in the case on the side of the state. ARP chair Carmela Warfield did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment on Wednesday.

Hafner received less than 1% of the vote in the August primary, but some Democrats have expressed concerns that Hafner’s presence on the ballot could divert votes from incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska. Peltola is believed to be in a close race against Republican challenger Nick Begich. Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe is also on the November ballot.

An Anchorage Superior Court judge said on Tuesday that out-of-state imprisoned Democratic U.S. House candidate Eric Hafner is eligible to appear on November‘s election ballot.

In an 18-page ruling, Judge Ian Wheeles firmly dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Alaska Democratic Party, which sought to remove Hafner from the ballot.

The ruling hinged on the idea that Hafner, while unqualified to take office, is qualified to run for office.

Wheeles’ decision clears the way for the Alaska Division of Elections to print and mail ballots to international voters. The federally mandated deadline to do so is Sept. 21, and elections officials had testified that removing Hafner could cause them to miss the deadline.

The party’s executive director, Lindsay Kavanaugh, said the party will appeal the decision to the Alaska Supreme Court.

In court on Monday, attorneys representing the party had suggested voters might erroneously pick Hafner instead of the party’s preferred candidate, incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska.

Polling indicates Peltola may be in a close race against Republican challenger Nick Begich. While Hafner earned less than 1% of the vote in the state’s August primary election, some Democrats are worried that Hafner could act as a spoiler.

Wheeles, noting Alaska’s ranked choice general election system, rejected the party’s argument.

“The court does not find any reasonable argument from plaintiffs that Hafner’s appearance on the ballot is going to harm another candidate or voters,” he wrote.

Removing Hafner from the ballot, Wheeles wrote, raises the risk that the ballot redesign process would cause the Division of Elections to miss deadlines and cause confusion among voters.

“In sum, an injunction threatens a successful administration of the election process, harming the Defendants without adequate protection, while the Plaintiffs face only minimal harm,” he wrote.

Most concerning to the court is the harm to the public and the integrity of the election, which would be truly irreparable.”

Under Alaska’s elections system, the top four candidates from the primary election — regardless of party — advance to the general election.

Wheeles appeared to scold the Democratic Party for bringing the case so late in the elections process, writing that it was “very foreseeable” that two candidates from either party might make the state’s final four.

“If plaintiffs did not evaluate this possible outcome in May, June, or even July, that was a failure to plan by the plaintiffs, not the emergency that is being depicted here,” he wrote.

Wheeles furthermore concluded that Hafner is a legal candidate, even if he would be unable to take office.

The Alaska Democratic Party had noted in court that Hafner, who was convicted of threatening public officials, is not scheduled to be released from federal prison until 2036.

The U.S. Constitution requires that a candidate for office be an inhabitant of the relevant state when elected, and Hafner is imprisoned in New York.

“If ever there is a person who cannot possibly become an inhabitant of the state in which they seek elections by election day, that person is Mr. Hafner,” said attorney David Fox, representing the Democratic Party.

Wheeles rejected that argument, writing, “There is no dispute that Hafner is not residing in Alaska today. But there is no requirement under law that he reside in Alaska today, in the past, or in the future at any time prior to the day ‘when elected’ to office. That day has not yet arrived, and regardless of the probability that plaintiffs assert, the court cannot make any factual finding about the future. The court would be speculating, which it has no authority to do in this context.”

Attorneys for the Alaska Department of Law, which represented the Division of Elections, did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday. An attorney representing the Alaska Republican Party, which intervened on the side of the division, also did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

“We’re disappointed by the judge’s ruling but remain confident Peltola will win in (November),” Kavanaugh said.

She noted that Hafner is on the ballot only because two higher-finishing Republican candidates — Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and insurance adjuster Matt Salisbury — withdrew after the primary.

“Unlike the Republican Party, we don’t have to scheme to win by asking candidates to drop out until a convicted felon gets on the general election ballot who received less than half a percentage of the votes cast during the primary,” Kavanaugh said. “We have more respect than that for voters in Alaska and clearly, our candidates are more viable than theirs.”

Bernadette Wilson, a senior adviser for Begich’s campaign, said by email that the Democratic Party’s situation “is a direct result of ranked choice voting which Nick Begich has consistently spoken out against. Fortunately, Alaskans will have the opportunity to undo this convoluted system in November.”

A ballot measure seeking to repeal the state’s open primary and top-four, ranked choice general election system will be in front of voters on the general election ballot.

“In the meantime,” Wilson said, “we look forward to having a robust discussion on the failed policies of the Biden administration which Mary Peltola has unequivocally supported as congresswoman.”

A state judge will rule as soon as Monday whether a man imprisoned in New York state will remain a candidate for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat.

Eric Hafner, running as a Democrat, was the sixth-place finisher in Alaska’s primary election for U.S. House. However, after two other candidates withdrew, he was promoted to the state’s “final four” in the November election, which will be conducted using ranked choice voting.

The Alaska Democratic Party filed suit on Thursday, arguing that Hafner, who was convicted of threatening public officials, isn’t an eligible candidate under state law and the U.S. Constitution. The party requested an injunction that would require the Alaska Division of Elections to either run the U.S. House election with three candidates or promote the seventh-place finisher, Republican Gerald Heikes.

Getting that injunction will require that the party’s attorneys prove that they’re likely to succeed on the merits of the case and that allowing Hafner to advance will cause greater harm than if he’s replaced.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles has scheduled oral arguments in the case for 9 a.m. Monday morning after a whirlwind series of written arguments by attorneys representing the state and the Alaska Democratic Party.

The stakes are high: After Republican Nick Begich became the lone Republican in the race, Cook Political Report — a leading election forecaster — labeled the race a “tossup” between him and incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.

Having a second Democrat in the race could cost Peltola some votes against Begich, which might be decisive in a close race, and the results of the race may be significant for control of the U.S. House of Representatives as a whole.

Time is a major factor. Federal law requires that ballots be mailed to international voters no later than Sept. 21. Before doing that, the state needs to finalize and print more than 3,500 ballots and test voting equipment with a draft ballot.

According to an affidavit signed by Alaska Division of Elections director Carol Beecher, a test ballot needs to be available by Wednesday in order to complete testing.

Among the Democratic Party’s arguments is that the U.S. Constitution requires a candidate to be an “inhabitant” of the relevant state “when elected,” and because Hafner isn’t scheduled for release from prison until 2036, that cannot happen.

But in an opposition brief filed Friday morning with the court, attorneys representing the Division of Elections say that the party’s argument falls flat.

“However unlikely these scenarios may be, the Court cannot say — particularly without evidence — whether Mr. Hafner might be released, pardoned, successful on appeal, or otherwise free to become an inhabitant of Alaska some other way,” the brief stated.

Attorneys representing the state said that disqualifying Hafner ahead of time would amount to an additional restriction on who may run for U.S. House, something prohibited under federal caselaw.

Responding to the state’s filing, the party’s attorneys said the prospect of Hafner’s release is a “fanciful projection.”

“There is no evidence that Mr. Hafner has sought a pardon or that there is any proceeding that could possibly result in his release in the next two months,” they wrote.

In addition to the constitutional issue, the party’s attorneys are arguing that the plain language of state law allows the Division of Elections to promote only the fifth-place finisher in cases when a candidate withdraws from the top four.

Responding on Friday, attorneys for the state said that the party is misreading state law and that a candidate becomes a fifth-place finisher when the previous fifth-place finisher gets promoted following a withdrawal.

The party’s attorneys previously argued that Hafner’s candidacy was also invalid under state law because he had listed the address of a mail-forwarding company, rather than his residence, when registering as a candidate.

They dropped that argument on Friday after the Division of Elections shared a copy of Hafner’s registration form, which included an address. The mail-forwarding company’s address was only listed on the election pamphlet.

If the party’s attorneys convince Wheeles that Hafner is not an eligible candidate, they must also convince him that the harm caused by removing Hafner’s name from the ballot is less than the harm from keeping it.

“Mr. Hafner’s presence on the ballot would complicate Plaintiffs’ efforts to reelect Congresswoman Peltola, because it will confuse voters by presenting them with a candidate, putatively a Democrat, who Plaintiffs do not support and who would not be entitled to serve if elected,” the party’s attorneys wrote.

The state is arguing that the limited time available for ballot printing means that the election itself could be delayed if a redesign is needed.

That’s far-fetched, the party’s attorneys argued in writing on Friday, noting that the state’s first mailings are two weeks away, that those ballots are printed in-house, and that the division needed just three days to finalize the ballot design after the primary’s certification on Sept. 1.

Wheeles’ decision, expected on Monday, may not be the final word. Regardless of his decision, it could be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court on an emergency expedited basis, with a final determination later in the week.