Welcome to the Jungle: Alaska's Pick-One Primary is August 18
Alaska's statewide primary is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. It is a nonpartisan open primary: every candidate appears on one ballot regardless of party, every registered voter gets that same ballot, and you vote for one candidate per race. There is no ranking in August. The four candidates with the most votes in each race advance to the November 3 general election, where ranked choice voting applies.
The part most people get wrong: August is pick one. November is the ranking. A second choice is worth exactly nothing on August 18.
The dates that matter
Early in-person voting opened August 3 and runs right up to election day. You don't need a reason.
When is Alaska's 2026 primary election?
Tuesday, August 18, 2026. But for a lot of Alaskans the decision is already happening. Early in-person voting opened Monday, August 3, and absentee ballots have been going out since late July.
How does Alaska's top-four primary work?
One ballot, every candidate on it. Alaska voted to scrap separate party primaries in 2020, starting in 2022, so there is no Republican ballot and no Democratic ballot. Every registered voter receives the same one, sees all seventeen candidates for governor, and votes for a single name. The four who finish highest go to November. Everyone else is done.
Do I rank candidates in August?
No. Ranked choice voting applies only to the November general election, where you rank the four survivors in order of preference. In August you pick one. If you leave the ballot thinking you named a backup, you didn't.
Do I have to be a registered Republican to vote in it?
No. The primary is open to every registered voter regardless of party, including undeclared and nonpartisan voters, which is most of Alaska. You get the same ballot as everyone else and you can vote for anyone on it.
Can I still register to vote for this election?
Not for August. Alaska requires registration at least 30 days out, so the deadline for the primary was July 19. If you register now you'll be eligible for the November 3 general election, and it takes about two minutes at voterregistration.alaska.gov.
How do I vote early or by mail?
Early in-person voting has been open since August 3 at locations across the Railbelt, in Juneau, and in Nome, with more sites opening closer to the election. You can vote early right up to election day, and you don't need a reason.
If you'd rather vote by mail, the application to have a ballot sent to you has to reach the Division of Elections by August 8, ten days before the election. Both the early-voting locations and the absentee application live here: Absentee and Early Voting.
Who is running for governor of Alaska in 2026?
Seventeen candidates filed. Governor Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and can't run again, which is why the field is this large. The four with the most votes on August 18 advance to November, and the winner takes office at noon on December 7.
The full certified list is on the Division of Elections site. I'm one of the seventeen, and if you want to know how I'd approach the job before you decide, that's what the writing is for.
When will we know the results?
The first unofficial results post online around 9 p.m. on August 18. Absentee ballots get counted in the days after, with updated totals expected August 25 and the last unofficial results on August 28. In a race this crowded, the fourth spot may genuinely not be settled on election night.
Why Any of This Matters More Than Usual
Turnout in an August primary is low. Low enough that a few thousand people across the state can decide which four names are on the ballot in November.
The people who show up in August aren't picking a winner. They're picking the menu.
