Today is Alaska’s general election. At stake are the races for U.S. House, U.S. Senate, state house, state senate, and governor. You can vote in Petersburg until 8 p.m. today at the Parks and Rec activity room.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson, and Treg Taylor are vying to take the governor’s seat from Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited.
Incumbent Nick Begich III is being challenged by independent Bill Hill for his seat in the U.S. House. Also on the ballot are Libertarian Jim McDermott and Democrat Eric Hafner.
Incumbent Dan S. Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola for his seat in the U.S. Senate. Also on the ballot are independent Petersburg candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Republican Gerald Heikes.
In Petersburg’s district, Republican Bert Stedman is running unopposed for state senate. Incumbent independent Rebecca Himschoot is being challenged by Republican Kenny Karl Skaflestad and independent candidate Alston C. Evans.
This election uses ranked choice voting. That means voters can rank candidates based on their preference, rather than choosing just their top favorite. You can find a sample ballot here and an explanation on how ranked choice voting works here.
Also on the ballot today are two ballot measures. Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the state’s ranked choice voting system, open primaries, and campaign finance disclosure rules.
Ballot Measure 3 would modify existing state statute language around who can vote in an election. Right now, Alaska law says “A person may vote at any election who is a citizen of the United States.” Ballot Measure 3 would specify that “only” a U.S. citizen could vote.
Three superior court judges are also on the ballot. The Alaska Judicial Council recommended retaining three of the judges in Petersburg’s district. They did not issue a recommendation for Judge Mariana Carpeneti.
You can find a link to a voter guide by Alaska media organizations here. KFSK will also be airing live election updates from Alaska Public Media tonight from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
