How Alaska’s Voting System Works: Open Primary and RCV

Alaska’s voting system works in two stages: a single open primary where every candidate for an office appears on one ballot and the four highest vote-getters advance, followed by a general election where you rank those four candidates in order of preference. It applies to races for governor, state legislature, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House, and to the presidential race in the general election.¹

The Open Primary

Every candidate for a given office appears on the same primary ballot regardless of party. Democrats, Republicans, independents, and third-party candidates all compete together, and every registered voter receives that same ballot. You pick one candidate per race, the way you would in any traditional election.¹

The four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. Party labels don’t affect who moves on, so the four finalists could be three Republicans and a Democrat, two independents and two Libertarians, or any other mix. If fewer than four candidates file for a race, all of them advance automatically and no primary contest is held.¹

One boundary worth knowing: the top-four primary does not apply to the presidential race. Presidential candidates go directly to the general election ballot, where all qualified candidates appear and voters rank the full field.

Ranking Candidates in the General Election

In the general election, you rank candidates in the order you prefer them. Mark your favorite as your first choice, your next-favorite as your second, and so on. Ranking someone second or third does not weaken your first-choice vote. A ballot only counts toward a lower-ranked candidate once every higher-ranked choice on it has been eliminated.²

You don’t have to rank every candidate. Ranking one is valid, and ranking two or three works fine. What you should avoid is giving the same ranking to two different candidates. That’s an overvote, and counting stops at that point on your ballot.² Your ballot also goes inactive if you skip two consecutive rankings before your next valid choice, or if all the candidates you ranked have been eliminated.³ Ranking more candidates can’t hurt your top pick and keeps your ballot in the count longer.

Write-in candidates can appear on the general election ballot. Someone who didn’t run in the primary, or who didn’t make the top four, can run as an official write-in by filing a letter of intent at least five days before the general election.¹ You rank a write-in the same way you rank any other candidate.

How the Count Produces a Winner

Counting happens in rounds. First, all first-choice votes are tallied. If any candidate has more than 50% of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins and no further rounds run.²

If no one clears that threshold, elimination begins. The candidate with the fewest votes in that round is dropped, and each of their ballots transfers to whichever continuing candidate that voter ranked next. The process repeats until one candidate has more than half of the active votes, or until only two remain and the higher total wins.⁴

When You’ll Know the Result

First-choice totals are reported on election night, so initial standings are visible quickly. The full ranked-choice tabulation waits for absentee and questioned ballots to arrive and be processed. Final unofficial results are reported 15 days after election day.² When one candidate dominates the first-choice count, the outcome may be clear on election night. In closer races, plan to wait about two weeks.

Registration and Eligibility

To register in Alaska, you must be a U.S. citizen, an Alaska resident, and at least 18 years old. If you’re within 90 days of turning 18, you can register now and your registration takes effect on your birthday.⁵

A felony conviction involving moral turpitude removes the right to vote from the date of conviction through unconditional discharge, after which the person can re-register.⁶

You can register online with an Alaska driver’s license or state ID, or by paper application through the mail or in person. The deadline that matters: register at least 30 days before an election to be on the official registration list for that election. Register after the 30-day cutoff and you can still vote, but you’ll cast a questioned ballot that goes through extra verification before it’s counted.⁷

Ways to Cast Your Ballot

Alaska is a no-excuse absentee state. Any registered voter can vote before election day without giving a reason. The options are:⁸

In person on election day at your assigned polling place.
Early voting, available starting 15 days before election day. Your registration is verified electronically at the site and your ballot is scanned there.
Absentee in person, also available starting 15 days before election day. These locations don’t have a live connection to the registration database, so the process takes a little longer.
Absentee by mail. Apply for a mail ballot and return it postmarked on or before election day. For the 2026 general election, the application deadline is October 24, 2026, and the ballot must be postmarked or received by November 3, 2026.
Absentee by fax or online delivery, available starting 15 days before election day. Applications must reach the Division by 5:00 p.m. Alaska time the day before election day.

If you’re dropping off a mail or absentee ballot at a voting location instead of mailing it, get it there by 8:00 p.m. on election day.⁸

1
Division of Elections. Election Information
2
Alaska Division of Elections. Alaska Ranked Choice Voting Counting Guide
3
Division of Elections. RCV Detailed Report
4
FindLaw. Alaska Statutes Title 15 Elections 15.15.350
5
Division of Elections. Who Can Register and Vote
6
Justia. Alaska Code 15.05 – Loss and Restoration of Voting Rights
7
Alaska State Legislature. Alaska State Legislature SB 305 – An Act Relating to Voter Registration
8
Division of Elections. Absentee and Early Voting