Alaska's 2026 primary election runs through Tuesday, Aug. 18, with polling places open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early and absentee in-person voting has been available since Aug. 3 at designated locations across the state.
The ballot is wide. Seventeen candidates are competing for governor, 15 are running for Alaska's single U.S. House seat and 16 are in the race for U.S. Senate. Incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking reelection, as is Rep. Nick Begich. Gov. Mike Dunleavy cannot appear on the ballot—he is term-limited.
The election uses an open primary format: no party segregation, all candidates share a single ballot. The top four finishers in each contest advance to the general election on Nov. 3. Ranked-choice voting does not apply in the primary—voters pick one candidate per race. Ranked-choice ballots come in the general.
Most state legislative contests have four candidates or fewer, meaning the full field advances automatically. Only five races will actually narrow after Tuesday's count, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.
Ballot Measure 1 asks voters to cap individual donations to candidates at $2,000 per election cycle, with the cap adjusted for inflation once every 10 years. Alaska has had no individual contribution limit since 2021, when a federal court struck down the previous $500 ceiling as unconstitutionally low. If the measure passes, it restores a cap at four times the old limit.
Voters must bring valid identification to the polls. Accepted documents include a driver's license, state ID, military ID, voter registration card, hunting or fishing license or a birth certificate. Documents showing a voter's name and current address—utility bills, government checks, bank statements, paychecks or other government-issued papers—also qualify under Division of Elections rules.
Absentee ballots must carry a postmark of Aug. 18 or earlier to be counted. The Division of Elections warns that not all mail receives a postmark on the day it is sent and recommends dropping ballots at a post office directly rather than a collection box to ensure a same-day postmark.
Ballots are printed in English and, in select districts, in additional languages: Chevak Cup'ik, Filipino (Tagalog), Northern Inupiaq, Nunivak Cup'ig and six dialects of Yup'ik. Voters can find their polling place and registration status through the My Voter Portal on the Division of Elections website. The deadline to register passed one month before Election Day.
Alaska Public Media, the Alaska Beacon, the Anchorage Daily News and KTOO jointly produced a 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide, sending questionnaires to all 53 candidates in the primary. Most candidates responded; a portion did not participate.
