Alaska

Snapshot: Alaska has a middling score on ease of voting, meeting four of our seven benchmarks, and a good score on ballot security, meeting six of our eight benchmarks. The state’s elected officials have largely rejected Trump’s claims about the 2020 election.

Ease of Voting

Some measures to expand access
4 out of 7 benchmarks

Ballot Security

Many measures to ensure accuracy and security
6 out of 8 benchmarks

What Politicians Say

Few responses that undermined the 2020 election
4 out of 4 benchmarks

Alaskans will have a lot more choices to make when voting in 2022.

Under a ballot measure approved in 2020, the state will hold an open primary in mid-August for state and federal offices, with the top four candidates moving onto the general election, regardless of party affiliation. The system does not apply to presidential candidates.

Voters will then rank their top four picks in November. If no one wins a majority, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and the second-choice votes from their supporters are counted. The process continues until a candidate reaches a majority.

Called ranked-choice voting, similar systems were first used statewide in Maine and are allowed in local elections in Utah, Virginia and New York City, among other places.

Georgia allows it for overseas military voters, while Florida and Tennessee bar local governments from experimenting with it.

The Alaska legislature has not passed any changes to election law since 2020.


Ease of Voting

Is the state making it easy for eligible voters to register and cast a ballot?
Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks
How Alaska compares to other states
Alaska
Other states
← Easier to vote
Harder →
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Number of total benchmarks met

Alaska made no changes to state law that would affect voting access.


Ballot Security

Is the state following best practices to ensure ballot counting is accurate and timely?
Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks
How Alaska compares to other states
Alaska
Other states
← More secure
Less secure →
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Number of total benchmarks met

Alaska made no changes to state law that would affect voting access.


How Politicians Responded to the 2020 Election

What did the state do in the aftermath of Trump's defeat?
Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks
How Alaska compares to other states
Alaska
Other states
← Fewer efforts to undermine 2020 election
More →
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Number of total benchmarks met

Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy supported Donald Trump in the immediate aftermath of the election, saying in a statement that he would “support our President’s efforts to ensure that the election is completed with integrity.”


Read the full methodology
Story by: Ryan Teague Beckwith and Bill Allison
Graphics by: Paul Murray, Allison McCartney and Mira Rojanasakul
With assistance by: Rachael Dottle, Marie Patino, Jenny Zhang, Gregory Korte, Romy Varghese, Vincent Del Giudice, Nathan Crooks, Margaret Newkirk, Shruti Date Singh, David Welch, Elise Young, Dina Bass, Brendan Walsh, Carey Goldberg and Maria Wood
Editors: Wendy Benjaminson, Wes Kosova, Alex Tribou and Yue Qiu
Photo editors: Eugene Reznik, Marisa Gertz and Maria Wood
Photo credits: Getty Images, Bloomberg and AP Photo