Jeanie Merrill drops her ballot envelope into a ballot box while voting in-person at the Eagle River Town Center during the regular municipal election on April 1. Photo courtesy of Bill Roth and ADN.
The 2024 election season is upon us. United States citizens over the age of 18 who are not registered to vote in another state and have not been convicted of a felony of moral turpitude are eligible to register to vote.
To vote in Alaska state elections, you must be a resident of Alaska and possess a valid form of identification, such as driver’s license, birth certificate, passport or state ID.
Vote.org stated on their website that voters must be registered to vote thirty days before the election. This deadline can vary by state.
Alaskan residents must register to vote by Oct. 6 to participate in the United States presidential and Alaska House of Representatives elections on Nov. 5.
The Alaska House of Representatives primary election on Aug. 20 will be conducted with ranked-choice voting.
Interested citizens can register to vote in Anchorage at the State of Alaska Division of Elections, Department of Motor Vehicles, Anchorage municipal libraries and the Office of the Municipal Clerk.
People can also register to vote online through the State of Alaska’s Online Voter Registration System.
The Division of Elections mentioned on its website that if a person has applied for the PFD in Alaska, they are automatically registered to vote in the state.
Non-Alaska residents can register to vote by mail or online at Vote.gov.
According to FairVote, Alaska has been one of two U.S. states to utilize ranked-choice voting statewide since 2020. The site explained the benefit of ranked-choice voting is that “Candidates can compete without fear of ‘splitting the vote’ with like-minded individuals.”
Ranked-choice voting is a voting method that entails ranking all candidates in preferential order. According to Ballotpedia, candidates who receive 50% plus one votes win the election.
The candidates with the fewest first place votes are dropped from the ballot. The remaining candidates are counted again to check for 50% plus one majority. If no majority exists, the remaining candidates continue this process until a majority is decided.
Ranked-choice voting is especially useful in primary elections to narrow down the long list of candidates.
For information about polling places and disability support at polling centers in Anchorage, visit the Division of Elections webpage.
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