2026 Midterms State GuideAlaska
Hold on to your salmon and ulu knives.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Alaska, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
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.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
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 (election offices open noon to 4 p.m. that Sunday)
- Early voting
- Oct. 19: Early voting, in-person absentee, special-needs, and electronic-transmission voting begin.
- Governor
- 4 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 4 candidates
- U.S. House
- One seat
- Statewide ballot measures
- 2
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
- Nov. 13Deadline for by-mail ballots mailed from within the U.S. to arrive (Nov. 18 if mailed from overseas).
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Alaska certifies the results
Results become official once Alaska certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Aug. 18Primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 4Voter registration deadline (election offices open noon to 4 p.m. that Sunday) This date has passed.
- Oct. 19Early voting, in-person absentee, special-needs, and electronic-transmission voting begin. This date has passed.
- Oct. 24Deadline for applications for an absentee ballot by mail to be received This date has passed.
- Nov. 2 (5 p.m.)Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by electronic transmission This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; by-mail ballots must be postmarked by today. This date has passed.
- Nov. 13Deadline for by-mail ballots mailed from within the U.S. to arrive (Nov. 18 if mailed from overseas) This date has passed.
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, tied to 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- Fully funding schools, including a constitutional amendment to "forward fund" education years ahead
- Lowering energy costs by developing all energy sources and requiring Railbelt utilities to cooperate
- Supporting health care access through Medicaid expansion, tribal health partnerships and telehealth
- Top priorities
David BronsonRepublican- Reviewing the state budget from zero every four years to cut waste while funding core services
- Partnering with industry to share costs and speed up infrastructure and development projects
- Expanding Alaskans' ownership of state land to make housing attainable and help communities grow
- Treg TaylorRepublican
running mate: Candi English
Top priorities- Lowering energy costs by developing Alaska's energy resources to make power affordable for families
- Expanding economic freedom by cutting red tape and reforming permitting to attract investment and jobs
- Getting Juneau working again by ending the budget fights he says have shrunk dividend checks
- Top prioritiesBernadette WilsonRepublican
- Tying school funding to measurable results, with more transparency and accountability in education spending
- Expanding options for families through education savings accounts, "backpack" funding that follows the student and learn-anywhere models
- Paying Alaskans the full Permanent Fund Dividend owed under the statutory formula
- 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 elect one candidate to represent them in the U.S. House, and a Republican is expected to hold that seat.
- Open seats
None.
- Competitive districts
Alaska’s district is not considered competitive (it’s seen as likely, but not solidly, Republican). Still, Alaska’s House seat does have a purple history, with Democrat Mary Peltola winning in 2022 but losing in 2024 to current incumbent Nicholas Begich (R). Candidates from 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 under a top-four primary 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 in which 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.