The Special General Election is Aug. 16. Voters will choose who fills the late Congressman Don Young’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and which primary candidates move forward to the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Here’s who’s on the ballot and where to vote.
The Ballot
Three people are running to replace the late Congressman Don Young’s seat. Those candidates are Democrat Mary Peltola and Republicans Nick Begich and Sarah Palin.
Nineteen people are running in the primary for the U.S. Senate. The Democratic candidates are Edgar Blatchford, Patricia Chesbro and Taylor Ivan. The Republican candidates are Kelly Tshibaka, Buzz Kelley, Samuel Merrill, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Nolin, John Schiess and Kendall Shorkey and Karl Speights. The sole Libertarian candidate is Sean Thorne, and the rest of the candidates are undeclared, nonpartisan or independent. Those candidates are Dave Darden, Dustin Darden, Shoshana Gungurstein, Sidney Hill, Jeremy Keller, Huhnkie Lee, and Joe Stephens.
Twenty-two people are running in the primary for the U.S. House of Representatives. The sole Democratic candidate is Mary Peltola. The Republican candidates are Randy Purham, Brad Snowden, Tara Sweeney, Denise Williams, Jay Armstrong, Nick Begich, Robert Lyons and Sarah Palin. The Libertarian candidates are Chris Bye and J.R. Myers, and the rest of the candidates are undeclared, nonpartisan or independent. Those candidates are Andrew Phelps, Sherry Strizak, Tremayne Wilson, Gregg Brelsford, Lady Donna Dutchess, Ted Heintz, David Hughes, Davis LeBlanc, Sherry Mettler, Robert Ornelas, and Silvio Pellegrini.
There are ten tickets in the primary for Governor and Lt. Governor. The sole Democratic ticket is Les Gara and Jessica Cook. The Republican tickets are incumbent Mike Dunleavy and Nancy Dahlstrom, Charlie Pierce and Edie Grunwald, Bruce Walden and Tanya Lange, David Haeg and Waynette Coleman and Christopher Kurka and Paul Hueper. The sole Libertarian ticket is William Tolen and Shirley Rainbolt, and the rest of the tickets are undeclared nonpartisan, or independent. Those tickets are Bill Walker and Heidi Drygas, John Wayne Howe and Shellie Wyatt and William Nemec and Ronnie Ostrem.
Two candidates are running for State Senate in District S: Willy Keppel, who’s registered with the Veterans of Alaska Party, and Democrat Lyman Hoffman.
Bryce Edgmon is running unopposed for the State House of Representatives in District 37.
Both District S and District 37 include Bristol Bay.
On Election Day
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. That’s also the last day to postmark election ballots in all municipalities.
If you're mailing in your ballot, check with your local post office to see if outgoing mail is postmarked locally on the day it’s dropped off. You can ensure that it is valid by asking the post office clerk to postmark it when you go to the post office. Ballots that are postmarked after August 16 will not be counted.
In some locations, election day is not the only day to vote! Here’s when and how you can vote.
City of Dillingham
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. from August 1 through August 15 at City Hall. On August 16, the polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Bristol Bay Borough
People can vote in person early and absentee now through August 15 at the borough assembly building in Naknek from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on election day. The polling locations are Naknek Community Hall, South Naknek Community Hall, and the King Salmon Village Council Building.
Lake and Peninsula Borough
The Lake and Peninsula municipal election is exclusively by-mail, and all registered voters should have received a ballot by now. Ballots must be postmarked by August 16. No late ballots will be accepted, so the sooner voters send them out, the better.
City of Aleknagik
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through August 15 at the Aleknagik Traditional Council.
On August 16, voting is at City Hall. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Chignik Bay
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through August 15 at the City Office.
On August 16, voting is at Chignik Community Hall. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Chignik Lagoon
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. now through August 15 at the City Office.
On August 16, voting is at Chignik Community Hall. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Egegik
There is no in-person absentee voting.
On August 16, voting is at City Hall. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Manokotak
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through August 15 at the Manokotak Village Council.
On August 16, voting is at the City Office. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Togiak
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through August 15 at the City Office. On August 16, the polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of New Stuyahok
In-person absentee voting is open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. now through August 15 at the City Office.
On August 16, voting is at City Hall. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
City of Port Heiden
There is no in-person absentee voting.
On August 16, voting is at the Port Heiden Community Building. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
If your community is holding elections but isn't listed here, give us a call at (907) 842-2200.
Get in touch with the authors at Katherine@kdlg.org and Izzy@kdlg.org or call (907) 842-2200.
Some language used in this article was originally used in a KDLG article on how to vote in the November 2020 elections.
