By THE ALASKA STORY
Aug. 12, 2026 – Alaskans are voting early in numbers far ahead of the pace set during the 2024 primary, an indication that voters are highly engaged in this year’s election. It’s also a warning to campaigns that their supporters cannot afford to take the Aug. 18 primary for granted.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 11, the Alaska Division of Elections had received 10,078 early votes. At the same point before the 2024 primary — eight days before Election Day of that year — the division had received only 4,298.
That means early voting this year is running nearly 5,800 ballots ahead of the 2024 pace. It represents an increase of approximately 135%, with this year’s total already reaching 235% of the number recorded at the comparable point two years ago.
The comparison is especially notable because 2024 was a presidential election year, which typically attracts greater voter excitement and attention. Yet Alaskans are casting ballots much earlier and at a considerably faster rate in the 2026 primary.
By Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, the day before that year’s primary, the total number of early votes had reached 12,462. Alaska was on track to approach that figure Wednesday, five days earlier in the election calendar than it did two years ago.
The early-vote totals do not reveal which candidates are benefiting. Alaska’s primary uses a single ballot for all voters, regardless of party registration, and the top four candidates in each race advance to the November general election.
Some of the surge, however, is likely being driven by the Democratic side of the governor’s race.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has raised more money than any gubernatorial candidate in Alaska history at this stage of a campaign. His campaign has brought in approximately $1.8 million, much of it from donors outside Alaska, and has the resources to operate an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort.
That money can pay for voter identification, targeted digital advertising, mail, text messages, phone banks and repeated contacts with supporters who have not yet cast their ballots. Campaigns can obtain updated voter-participation records and focus their resources on supporters whose names have not appeared on the early-voter list.
Republican candidates, divided among a large field, do not have comparable individual campaign resources. That raises the possibility that Democratic voters are making up a disproportionate share of the early surge while Republican voters lag behind.
The available statewide early-vote numbers do not yet prove that is happening, but Republicans cannot safely assume that the increased turnout is evenly distributed among parties or candidates.
The stakes are particularly high in the crowded race for governor. With numerous Republicans competing for the same pool of voters, even a relatively small difference in turnout could determine which candidates claim one of the four places on the general-election ballot.
Alaska’s jungle primary also means there is no separate Republican or Democratic nomination. Every candidate appears on the same ballot, and every voter may select one candidate in each race. A candidate who fails to make the top four is eliminated, regardless of party affiliation.
The accelerating turnout shows that voters are paying attention and that well-funded campaigns are already motivating their supporters to the polls. Republicans who wait until Election Day may discover that the other side has spent weeks building a lead.
Alaskans have until Tuesday, Aug. 18, to vote in the primary. Those who already have absentee ballots should complete and return them promptly. Voters seeking other absentee-voting options should check the Division of Elections requirements and deadlines immediately.
The message from the first 10,078 ballots is unmistakable: This election is underway, campaigns are mobilizing, and no voter should assume someone else will decide the outcome.
