2026 Midterms State GuideAlaska
Hold on to your salmon and ulu knives.
- PrimaryStatewideAug. 18This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you, the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your salmon and ulu knives, and let’s get into it.
Alaska at a glance
Alaska votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, its one U.S. House seat and two statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 4: Voter registration deadline
- Early voting
- Oct. 19: Absentee in-person, early voting, electronic transmission, and special-needs voting all begin.
- Governor
- 4 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 4 candidates
- U.S. House
- One seat
- Statewide ballot measures
- 2
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- Sept. 19Federal UOCAVA deadline This date has passed.
- Oct. 4Voter registration deadline
- Oct. 19Absentee in-person, early voting, electronic transmission, and special-needs voting all begin.
- Oct. 24Deadline to receive absentee by-mail ballot applications.
- Nov. 3Election Day.
- Nov. 13Deadline to receive absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day and mailed from within the U.S.
- Nov. 18Deadline to receive absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day and mailed from overseas
What’s at stake
Alaska Beacon, Alaska Public Media, KTOO and the Anchorage Daily News teamed up this year and asked Alaskans directly: what do you want candidates to talk about? Education topped the list and The Permanent Fund Dividend came in a clear second, tangled up with a bigger question: how lawmakers plan to balance the state's books long-term? Beyond those two, several other issues arose including cost of living/inflation, election and voting system changes (Alaska's Legislature has failed to pass election legislation for six straight years, and on the ballot this year: whether to repeal the state's top-four/ranked-choice system), crime and disaster preparedness, and how Trump administration policies are playing out in-state.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Alaska is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
- Top priorities
Jonathan Kreiss-TomkinsDemocrat- Supporting schools by ensuring they’re fully funded; passing a constitutional amendment to “forward fund” education and putting an end to the awful annual budget guessing game; ensuring enough funding for Alaska schools to offer sports, electives (shop, music, art, etc.), and extracurriculars that enrich students’ lives; getting cell phones out of classrooms; and more.
- Lowering energy costs by supporting the development of all energy sources; requiring the four Railbelt utilities to cooperate with each other; protecting ratepayers from paying for a second unnecessary and costly LNG import terminal in Cook Inlet; and more.
- Supporting healthcare access by supporting Medicaid expansion, partnering with tribal health organizations to secure maximum federal funding for Alaskans’ healthcare, promoting telehealth, and more.
- Top priorities
David BronsonRepublican- Implementing a zero-based budgeting review once every four years to keep core services funded, forces clear, defensible cuts where appropriate, reduce waste without chaos, and create a disciplined, transparent budget focused on real priorities and real outcomes for Alaska.
- Creating stronger communities and bringing in more jobs by partnering with industry to share costs, move projects faster, and get real infrastructure built.
- Secure control of Alaska’s land and put it to work for families, ensuring housing is attainable and communities can grow.
- Top prioritiesBernadette WilsonRepublican
- Support funding levels and programs that will produce results and that can help Alaskan schools become number one in the country.
- Follow the statutory formula and pay Alaskans the full Permanent Fund Dividend they're legally owed as resource owners, rather than diverting funds through the budget process without changing the law.
Candi EnglishRepublicanEnglish inherited this position at the ninth hour. She was originally Treg Taylor’s running mate, but he was disqualified from the election, rocketing her to the top of the ticket.
Get to know ’em
- Get to know ’em
Mary PeltolaDemocrat 
Gerald HeikesRepublican
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Alaskans will elect one candidate to represent them in the U.S. House. A Republican is expected to hold that seat.
- Open seats
No.
- Competitive districts
Cook doesn’t rank Alaska’s district competitive (likely, but not solidly, Republican), but Alaska’s house seat has a purple history, with Democrat Mary Peltola winning in 2022 but losing in 2024 to current incumbent Nicholas Begich (R). Candidates in multiple parties filed to run, so the district isn’t guaranteed to any party.
Statewide ballot measures
2 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
Right now, Alaska operates from a top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting system. Plain English translation: the top four candidates with the most votes (regardless of their party) make it to the ballot. This measure would change that to a typical party primary system where the top candidates in each party would make it to the ballot. It would also nix a provision that requires people who contribute more than $2k to reveal the sources of their political contributions and split the Governor and Lieutenant Governor into separate tickets requiring their own election.
Voting yessupports replacing top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting with party primaries, ending the requirement that people who contribute more than $2k reveal the sources of their contributions, and electing the Governor and Lieutenant Governor on separate ticketsVoting noopposes this initiative, keeping top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting, the $2k contribution disclosure requirement, and the joint Governor and Lieutenant Governor ticketThis initiative would amend an existing Alaska law. Currently, the law reads: "A person may vote at any election who is a citizen of the United States." Under this initiative, the law would read, "Only a person who is a citizen of the United States … may vote at any election."
Voting yessupports changing the law to say that only U.S. citizens may vote in Alaska electionsVoting noopposes this initiative, keeping the existing language: "A person may vote at any election who is a citizen of the United States."
Also on the ballot
Other races Alaska voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- School boards
- Municipal government
- Recalls
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Alaska?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Alaska
Good Father, we pray for Alaskans as they prepare to vote. Thank you for the privilege voters have to cast their vote for the good of their community. Sharpen their attention, help them see the ballot with your eyes, and help them vote with both conviction and humility.
May candidates campaign with integrity. Remind them that the office is not a mere prize to be won, but a profound responsibility to be cared for. If they win, surround them with wise counsel and guide them toward decisions that serve their constituents. For those who lose, bring comfort and give them grace for their actions.
Draw near to all in the Last Frontier who are tempted toward anxiety, anger, or despair. Guard their hearts with a peace that this political moment cannot give. Give Your ambassadors a settledness in their heavenly citizenship, a confidence in your unshakeable kingdom, and opportunities to share that kingdom’s peace with their neighbors.
Amen.