By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 2, 2026 – Alaska’s 2026 primary election enters its get-real phase Monday, Aug. 3, when early voting, absentee in-person voting, electronic ballot transmission, and special-needs voting begin across the state.
Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 18, but Alaskans who are traveling or who do not want to wait can begin casting ballots at designated locations Monday. Voting sites, operating dates and hours vary by community and are posted on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
This is not a ranked-choice event. This is a “pick one” primary. Every voter receives the same ballot, regardless of party registration, and votes for one candidate in each race. The four candidates receiving the most votes advance to the Nov. 3 general election. This means Democrats can cross over and vote for someone they believe is an unelectable Republican, and try to advance that candidate to the general election.
Ranking occurs only in the general election when more than two candidates are on the ballot in each race.
If fewer than four candidates filed for a race, every candidate in that race automatically advances to November. Voters cannot write in candidates during the primary.
The ballot includes races for governor and lieutenant governor (as a ticket), US Senate, US House, 10 of Alaska’s 20 state Senate districts (Districts A, C, E, G, I, K, M, O, Q and S), and all 40 state House districts.
Voters will also decide Ballot Measure 1, officially titled the “Restoring Alaska’s Campaign Finance Limits Initiative.” The measure would establish new contribution limits for state and local campaign. Read about that in this column:
Suzanne Downing: Ballot Measure 1 gives more power for PACs, less power for Alaskans
Early voting and absentee in-person voting sound similar, but ballots are handled differently.
At an early-voting location, election workers confirm the voter’s eligibility immediately, and the voter scans the ballot at the site. At an absentee in-person location, the voter seals the ballot inside an oath-and-affidavit envelope. That envelope is later reviewed by the Absentee Review Board before the ballot is opened and counted.
Voting tablets are available at early-voting sites but not at absentee in-person locations.
The deadline for the Division to receive an application for an absentee ballot by mail is Saturday, Aug. 8. Absentee ballots are not mailed automatically; each voter must request one. Return postage is not prepaid.
The deadline to request a ballot by electronic transmission is 5 pm Monday, Aug. 17. Ballots may be sent to voters electronically, but completed ballots cannot be returned by email or through the internet. They must be returned by fax or mail.
A mailed absentee ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, Aug. 18, and received by the Division no later than Aug. 28. A ballot returned by fax must arrive by 8 pm on Election Day.
The Division’s 2026 media packet includes an apparent error in one of its frequently asked questions, referring to Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 deadlines. Those dates conflict with the official election calendar. The calendar establishes Aug. 17 as the electronic-transmission application deadline and Aug. 18 as Election Day and the ballot-return deadline.
The media packet says, “The deadline to request a replacement ballot by electronic transmission is August 19 5:00pm. Ballots sent via electronic transmission (fax or email) must be returned to the division by fax or mail. When returning by mail, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day, August 20. When returning by fax, ballots must be received by 8:00pm on Election Day, August 20. We do not accept any ballots returned to us via the internet, including email.” Those dates are incorrect.
No absentee-ballot drop boxes will be available. Voters may deliver their absentee ballots to a Division of Elections office or any voting location by 8 pm on Aug. 18, Election Day.
A voter who requested an absentee ballot may still vote in person. The voter does not need to bring the mailed ballot and should discard it if it has not been completed. Voting records are checked to prevent a person from casting more than one ballot.
Absentee ballots must carry the voter’s signature and a witness signature. Alaska does not have a ballot-curing process. Once the Division receives an absentee ballot, the voter cannot add a missing witness signature or correct other omitted information.
Polling places will be open from 7 am until 8 pm on Aug. 18. Voters can locate their polling place through the state’s My Voter Information portal or the interactive map on the Division’s website.
Voters should be prepared to show identification. Acceptable documents include a voter registration card, Alaska driver’s license, state identification card, military identification, birth certificate, hunting or fishing license, Tribal identification or a current utility bill, paycheck, bank statement, government check or other government document showing the voter’s name and current address.
A voter whose name is missing from the precinct register, who lacks acceptable identification and is not personally known to an election worker, or whose record indicates a ballot was already cast may vote a questioned ballot. Those ballots are reviewed after Election Day.
Alaskans may bring a completed sample ballot or written candidate list into the voting booth. Campaigning, political discussion and the display of campaign materials, however, are prohibited within 200 feet of a polling-place entrance while voting is underway. Leave your campaign button under your jacket when in the polling place.
Election-night results will include ballots cast at polling places and early-voting ballots cast from Aug. 3 through Aug. 13. Early votes cast during the final five days before Election Day are held back so election officials can check for possible duplicate voting.
The first unofficial results are expected between 8:45 and 9 pm on Aug. 18, followed by additional updates during the evening. Those initial numbers will not represent the complete vote.
The Absentee Review Board may begin reviewing ballot eligibility on or before Aug. 11. Additional absentee, early and questioned ballots will be counted Aug. 25, seven days after the election, with other counting days possible. The 10-day count and deadline for receiving eligible mailed absentee ballots fall on Aug. 28.
The State Review Board is targeting Aug. 31 to certify the primary. Based on that date, recount applications would be due within five days, by Sept. 5, and election contests would have to be filed within 10 days, by Sept. 10.
