By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 26, 2026 – Alaska’s election season is entering its final stretch.
As of Sunday, July 26, the nationwide general election is exactly 100 days away. Voters across the country will cast ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for all 435 seats in the U.S. House, roughly one-third of the U.S. Senate, numerous governors and thousands of state and local offices.
For Alaskans, however, the next major date is much closer.
The Alaska primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18 — just 23 days away.
That primary will narrow the fields for governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Alaska Senate and Alaska House. But Alaska’s unusual election system means the primary does not work like a traditional Republican or Democratic primary.
Alaska uses a nonpartisan top-four primary, sometimes called a “jungle primary.” All candidates for an office appear together on the same ballot, regardless of party registration or political affiliation. There is no separate Republican ballot or Democratic ballot.
The most important instruction for voters is simple: Pick one candidate in each primary race.
There is no ranking in the August primary. A voter fills in the oval next to one preferred candidate for governor, one for U.S. Senate, one for U.S. House and one in each applicable legislative contest.
The four candidates receiving the most votes in each race advance to the Nov. 3 general election, regardless of their party affiliation. That means multiple candidates identifying with the same party could advance. It is also possible for a major political party to have no candidate among the final four.
When four or fewer candidates are running for an office, all of them advance automatically to the general election.
The primary also does not formally nominate candidates on behalf of political parties. A party affiliation printed beside a candidate’s name describes how that person is registered or identifies politically; it does not necessarily mean that the party endorsed or nominated the candidate.
Alaska voters approved the top-four primary and ranked-choice general election system through a ballot initiative in 2020. It was first used in statewide elections in 2022.
The distinction between the two parts of the system remains a source of confusion: The August primary is a pick-one election. Ranked-choice voting applies only to the November general election.
In November, voters may rank the four general-election candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and ballots cast for that candidate are transferred to the next-ranked remaining choice. The process continues until one candidate has a majority of the votes remaining in the count.
Voters are not required to rank every candidate in November. They may vote for only one candidate, although a ballot with no additional rankings cannot transfer if that candidate is later eliminated.
The top-four system applies to the governor and lieutenant governor ticket, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Alaska Senate and Alaska House. Presidential nominations are handled separately by the political parties and are not part of Alaska’s regular state primary. There is no presidential race in the 2026 midterm election.
The deadline to register for the Aug. 18 primary was July 19, so that date has passed. Voters should still check their information through the Alaska Division of Elections to make certain their registration and residential address are correct.
To vote in Alaska, a person generally must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old by Election Day and have lived in Alaska and the applicable House district for at least 30 days before the election. A person may register before turning 18 if the person will reach voting age within 90 days.
A voter may not be registered to vote in another state. People convicted of felonies involving moral turpitude are ineligible while serving their sentences, including probation or parole, but may register again after receiving an unconditional discharge. Pretrial detainees and people convicted of offenses that do not involve moral turpitude generally remain eligible.
Early and absentee in-person voting begins Monday, Aug. 3, and continues through Election Day. Locations and operating hours vary, particularly in rural communities, so voters should confirm the available site and schedule before traveling.
The deadline for the Division of Elections to receive an application for an absentee-by-mail ballot is Saturday, Aug. 8. Alaska is a no-excuse absentee-voting state, meaning voters do not need to provide a reason for requesting a mail ballot.
Absentee ballots returned by mail generally must be postmarked on or before Aug. 18. Because receipt deadlines can vary depending on how and from where a ballot is returned, voters should mail completed ballots as early as possible and follow the instructions included with the ballot.
Polls will be open from 7 am until 8 pm on Aug. 18. Anyone in line when the polls close at 8 pm should be permitted to vote.
Voters will be asked to present identification when voting in person. Acceptable identification may include a voter identification card, driver’s license, state identification card, passport, hunting or fishing license, birth certificate or another qualifying document. Certain current utility bills, paychecks or government documents showing the voter’s name and address may also be accepted. A photo identification is preferred but is not required in every circumstance.
The election system itself will be one of the major questions before voters in November.
Ballot Measure 2 proposes repealing Alaska’s nonpartisan top-four primary and ranked-choice general election system. It would reestablish partisan primaries, restore special runoff elections and repeal or amend related campaign-finance provisions.
A “yes” vote would support repealing the current system. A “no” vote would preserve it.
Approval of Ballot Measure 2 in November would not change the Aug. 18 primary or the ranked-choice general election already underway. The 2026 elections will be conducted under the existing system.
Alaska is one of only two states, along with Maine, using ranked-choice voting for statewide elections. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states now prohibit ranked-choice voting in all or some elections. NCSL’s current national summary lists Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming among those states. Only Maine and Alaska use it for state and federal races.
The Alaska Division of Elections maintains election dates, absentee-voting instructions, sample ballots, polling locations and other voter information at its official election website.
The countdown is now measured in days rather than months:
- 23 days until Alaska’s primary
- 100 days until the general election
