Alaska is holding two elections on Aug. 16, and absentee voting is right around the corner. Early voting begins this coming Monday, Aug. 1.
One election is a special election for the U.S. House. Whoever wins will fill the last four months of the late congressman Don Young’s term.
That election has three candidates. There’s Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik and grew up in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. She is the only Democrat and represented the lower Kuskokwim area in the state legislature for a decade. The other two candidates are Republicans: former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and Nick Begich, the former co-chair of the Alaska Republican Party finance committee. Whoever wins will represent Alaska in the U.S. House until the November general election.
There is a new voting format this year. The vote will be ranked choice, meaning voters list the candidates in order of preference.
The other election on Aug. 16 is a primary election where candidates compete to appear on the ballot in November. The primary ballot will include races for U.S. Senator, U.S. House, governor, state senator, and state representative. For these elections, voters choose only one candidate. Both the special election and the primary election will appear on the ballot.
To vote by mail, request a ballot by Friday, Aug. 5. If you don’t have access to a polling station or would like to vote absentee, you can request an online or faxed ballot. If you’re taking that option, you must request the ballot by 5:00 p.m. on Aug. 15, a day before the election.
If you’d like to vote early in person, you can do that in many Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages. The following communities will have early voting sites.
Akiachak
- Location: Akiachak Native Community
- Address: 1st Main Street
- Dates: Aug. 4 -5 (Thursday and Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Akiak
- Location: Kokarmuit Corporation Building
- Address: 215 9th Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Aniak
- Location: City of Aniak
- Address: no address
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Bethel
- Location: ONC Building
- Address: 117 Alex Hately Drive
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Crooked Creek
- Location: Village of Crooked Creek
- Address: 401 Main Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Emmonak
- Location: City of Emmonak
- Address: 9 Karigak Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Kipnuk
- Location: Kipnuk Traditional Council
- Address: 101 Council
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Kotlik
- Location: Kotlik City Office
- Address: 3rd Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Marshall
- Location: City of Marshall
- Address: 1104 Yukon Ave
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Village
- Location: City of Mountain Village
- Address: 1 St. Mary’s Highway
- DDates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Napakiak
- Location: Napakiak City Office
- Address: 26 Kusko Road
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 10:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Napaskiak
- Location: City of Napaskiak Bingo Hall
- Address: 6109 Main Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Newtok
- Location: NVC Brown Building
- Address: no address
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Nightmute
- Location: City of Nightmute Building
- Address: Chantaq Street
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Nunam Iqua
- Location: The Native Village of Nunam Iqua
- Address: no address
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Oscarville
- Location: Oscarville Traditional Village
- Address: no address
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pitka’s Point
- Location: Pitka’s Point Tribal Hall
- Address: 36 Riverfront Road
- Dates: Aug. 2 – Aug. 5 (Tuesday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Quinhagak
- Location: Quinhagak City Office
- Address: 75 Qanrituuq Drive
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
St. Mary’s
- Location: St. Mary’s City Office
- Address: 174 Paukan Ave
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuluksak
- Location: Tuluksak Native Community Office
- Address: 23 Tuluksak Heights
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Upper Kalskag
- Location: Upper Kalskag Tribal Office Multifacility Building
- Address: no address
- Dates: Aug. 1 – Aug. 15 (Monday - Friday)
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
