3 things to know about voting in Alaska’s primary election

Natalie Kiley-Bergen casts her ballot successful Alaska’s superior predetermination connected Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. She voted early astatine Anchorage’s City Hall. (Adam Nicely/Alaska Public Media)

Alaskans person until 8 p.m. Tuesday to ballot successful nan state’s top-four superior election. 

Here are 3 things to know:

What are we voting on?

Tuesday’s superior election, featuring candidates from each parties, will constrictive nan section to nary much than 4 candidates successful each title up of nan classed prime wide predetermination successful November.

Alaska’s sole spot successful nan U.S. House of Representatives, each 40 authorities House seats and 10 authorities Senate seats will beryllium connected nan superior ballot. But conscionable 3 of those races will spot candidates eliminated. Those races are: 

1. The 12-way title for U.S. House, wherever Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola is seeking reelection against a section that includes Republicans Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom. That’s a statewide race, truthful each superior elector will person a chance to measurement in.
2. The title for authorities Senate District L successful Eagle River, wherever Republican Sen. Kelly Merrick is making a bid for different word against 4 challengers. 
3. The title for an unfastened authorities House title representing District 36, covering a wide swath of nan Interior. Six candidates are moving for nan seat, which is presently held by Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok. Cronk is vacating nan spot to tally for nan authorities Senate. 

However, moreover successful races pinch 4 aliases less candidates, nan superior whitethorn beryllium an early parameter of elector enthusiasm and immoderate Republican candidates have pledged to withdraw if they don’t person nan astir votes among chap statement members. Most notably, Begich has said he’ll driblet retired of nan U.S. House title if he is bested by Dahlstrom.

You tin find your sample ballot astatine nan Alaska Division of Elections’ website. Ballots are disposable successful English and, for immoderate districts, successful different languages — Chevak Cup´ik, Filipino (Tagalog), Northern Inupiaq, Nunivak Cup’ig and six dialects of Yup’ik. 

How do I vote?

On superior time — Tuesday, Aug. 20 — polling places will beryllium unfastened from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must beryllium 18 aliases older and person registered to ballot astatine slightest 30 days earlier nan election. For nan primary, nan registration deadline was July 21.

If you’re not judge wherever your polling spot is, aliases whether you’re registered, you tin check nan My Voter Portal connected nan Division of Elections website. That portal besides indicates your authorities House district.

Voters request to bring a shape of ID to nan polling place. That tin see a driver’s licence aliases authorities ID card, a subject ID, a elector registration card, a hunting aliases sportfishing license, a commencement certificate aliases a inferior bill, authorities check, slope statement, paycheck aliases different authorities archive that includes nan voter’s sanction and existent address, according to nan Division of Elections.

On nan ballot, you’ll prime 1 campaigner successful each title who you’d for illustration to spot beforehand to nan wide election. The primary, dissimilar nan wide predetermination successful November, is not a classed prime election, truthful beryllium judge to make only 1 action per race.

Many candidates person responded to a questionnaire from nan Alaska Beacon outlining their positions connected nan issues.

Unless you specifically requested and received an absentee ballot for this election, you’ll person to spell to a polling place to vote. Absentee ballots must beryllium postmarked by Tuesday, August 20, but tin get up to 10 days later.

When will we cognize nan results?

Ballot counting takes immoderate time, particularly since absentee ballots tin get up to 10 days aft nan election, but location will beryllium a important number of votes tallied connected Tuesday. 

State elections officials opportunity nan first batch of results is expected to beryllium posted to nan Division of Elections’ website sometime aft 9 p.m. Tuesday. The results reported Tuesday will see votes formed successful personification connected Tuesday, positive early votes formed astatine designated “Early Vote Locations,” which are recovered successful Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, nan Mat-Su, nan Kenai Peninsula and Nome.

Tuesday’s results will besides see some, but not all, absentee-by-mail and absentee-in-person ballots. Absentee-in-person voting is simply a communal method of early voting successful galore agrarian communities.

Historically, updates person continued into nan early greeting hours connected Wednesday. 

Elections officials will proceed counting absentee ballots done Aug. 30. As much absentee ballots are counted, authorities officials scheme to merchandise different batch of results connected Aug. 27 and a last count 10 days aft nan predetermination connected Aug. 30. 

The results do not go charismatic until they’re certified by nan State Review Board, which nan authorities anticipates happening connected Sept. 1. 

Keep an oculus connected alaskapublic.org for takeaways from this year’s primaries.