The Alaska state primary election is coming up on Tuesday, August 20. That election will determine which candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November. It will be particularly important for deciding who can run in state senate and house races.
Registered voters can vote in person for the primary on August 20, or sooner with an absentee ballot. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Saturday, August 10 if you request by mail, or Monday, August 19 if you request online.
Here at KDLG, we want to be sure you can cast your vote this year stress-free. So from registration, to deadlines, to local Bristol Bay polling places, we’ve got you covered.
How do I know if I am registered to vote?
If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check here at the Alaska Division of Elections website in the voter information lookup section.
You might be registered to vote and not even know about it. If you applied for a PFD and met the requirements to vote when you did so, you might have been automatically registered. If you registered for a driver’s license and met the requirements to vote, you should be automatically registered to vote as well!
If you turned 18 recently, you may not be registered yet. It’s too late to register for the primary, but there is still plenty of time to register for the general election in November. You can register at voterregistration.alaska.gov.
Where and when can I vote in person for early voting?
Some polling places are already open for early voting. This list is up to date as of August 7, 2024:
Dillingham
Location: Dillingham City Hall, 141 Main St E, 3rd Floor
Early voting hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
Phone number: (907) 842-5212
There are also early voting locations in Anchorage; look them up here.
Where and when can I vote in person on election day?
The primary election will be on Tuesday, August 20. To find your polling place, enter your city here on the Alaska’s Division of Elections website.
A number of polling places around Bristol Bay have already confirmed their hours and services for election day on Tuesday, August 20. This list is up to date as of August 7, 2024:
Aleknagik
Location: Aleknagik City Hall, 33 Main St.
Election day hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Phone number: (907) 842-5953
Yup’ik language services will be available.
Transportation services will be available.
Egegik
Location: Egegik City Hall, 189 Airport Rd.
Election day hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Phone number: (907) 233-2400
Manokotak
Location: Manokotak City Office, Salmon St.
Election day hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Phone number: (907) 289-2007
Yup’ik language services will be available.
Naknek
Location: Bristol Bay Borough Building assembly room
Election day hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Phone number: (907) 246-4443
Poll workers needed, call 907-246-4443 to volunteer.
Yup’ik language services needed, call 907-246-4443 to volunteer.
Transportation services will be available.
New Stuyahok
Location: Manokotak City Office, Salmon St.
Election day hours: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Phone number: (907) 693-3171
Yup’ik language services will be available.
The following polling places are listed on the state elections website but have not yet confirmed their hours:
Clarks Points, Clark’s Points Village Council Office, Saguyak Ave.
Dillingham, Dillingham city hall, 141 Main St.
Ekwok, Ekwok City Hall, 101 Main St.
King Salmon, King Salmon Village Council Building
Koliganek, Koliganek Village Council Building, 5057 Main Rd.
Levelock, Levelock Rainbow Hall
Port Heiden, Port Heiden Community Building, 2200 James St.
South Naknek, South Naknek Recreational Hall, 113 Airport St.
Togiak, Togiak City Office, 2nd and G St.
What should I bring with me to vote?
When voting at a polling location, be sure you have at least one form of acceptable ID with you. That includes:
- Voter ID card, driver’s license, state ID, other photo ID, passport, hunting or fishing license, or other documents with your name on it.
How does the in-person voting process work?
Once they verify your identity in the precinct register, you will then receive a ballot and secrecy sleeve to vote in a voting booth. If you make an error, you get up to two replacement ballots.
On your ballot, you will rank candidates for each race in your order of preference. Alaska uses ranked choice voting, which means that the top four candidates in each race will appear on the ballot in November.
Once finished, place the ballot inside of the secrecy sleeve and drop it off in the designated ballot box or scanner.
You may have to fill out a “questioned ballot” if your name is not in their register, your address has changed, you don’t have ID, the precinct register says you already voted, or someone else challenges your qualifications to vote. You can fill out the questioned ballot as you would a regular one and return it to a poll worker. Then the questioned review board will judge whether your ballot can be counted, and you’ll be notified of their decision.
How do I vote absentee?
In Alaska, anyone can apply to vote absentee, which means you can fill out your ballot at home and then mail it, fax it, or drop it off before 5 p.m. on Monday, August 19.
Applying for an absentee ballot online only takes a few minutes, and all you need is a driver’s license or state ID. You can apply online here.
You can also apply for an absentee ballot by mail if you prefer. In the primary election, the deadline to apply by mail is Saturday, August 10.
Once you apply, you will receive an absentee ballot to fill in. Active duty military families will automatically receive absentee ballots.
Once you fill out your ballot, turn it in:
- Mail your absentee ballot back on or before election day.
- Fax your absentee ballot back no later than 5 p.m. the day before election day.
- Bring your absentee ballot to an early voting location on or after August 5. There are early voting locations in Anchorage and elsewhere; look them up here. You should bring recent mail to prove that your address matches your registration.
You may also vote absentee by online delivery. This process involves receiving your ballot by email, but still sending it back by physically mailing or faxing it no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, August 19 — the day before election day.
Or, you can vote absentee by fax. Those also must be received no later than 5 p.m. the day before election day. In this method, you will be faxed a ballot and may mail or fax it back.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
