Don’t be fooled by Alaska’s long history of voting for Republicans: The slate of primaries and a special election on Tuesday offers plenty of intrigue, with several big names on the ballot, such as former Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Lisa Murkowski.
The races are another test of the strength of an endorsement from former President Donald J. Trump. He supports Mrs. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice president’s nominee for the state’s sole seat in the state House, also backs Kelly Tshibaka, Ms. Murkowski in the Senate primaries.
Here’s a refresher on voting rules and what’s at stake.
How to vote
The registration deadlines for personal voting and requesting a ballot paper have expired. Alaska does not have same-day registration for primaries, but it does for presidential elections.
All registered voters, regardless of party membership, can participate in the new Alaskan nonpartisan primaries.
Where to vote?
Alaska voters can click here to look up their assigned polling place. Missing ballots returned by post must be postmarked by Tuesday and received by state election offices by August 26. vote personally.
Alaska offers no-apologies absentee ballots — meaning voters don’t have to give a reason — with an option to receive ballots through the state’s secure online portal. Voters can choose to return their ballots by fax rather than by post, but must do so before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
What’s on the ballot?
Ms. Murkowski was one of seven Republicans in the Senate who voted to convict Mr Trump during his impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which met backlash from the former president and his supporters in her quest for a fourth term. . Mr. Trump supported one of her opponents, Ms. Tshibaka, a former commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Administration, in the primaries.
Another race sparking national intrigue will decide who will hold the seat of Rep. Don Young, a Republican who died in March, for the remainder of his term in office, which ends in January. Mr. Young has held the seat since he was first elected to the House in 1973.
The special election will be led by Ms. Palin, who will face Nick Begich III, a Republican and the scion of an Alaskan political dynasty, and Mary S. Peltola, a Democrat and former state legislator. Voters will rank their choices in the special election. If no candidate achieves a majority, officials will finish last place and reassign the supporters voter to the voter’s second pick until one candidate has at least 50 percent.
All three candidates, along with many others, will also be listed separately on the regular primary ballot for the House seat, which will determine who will run in November to represent the state for a full two-year term, beginning in January. .
Voters will also decide different races for governor and the state legislature. Click here for a sample vote.