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Alaska state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7
- Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
| 2018 Alaska State Legislature elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | November 6, 2018 |
| Primary | August 21, 2018 |
| 2018 elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Alaska State Senate and Alaska House of Representatives were on August 21, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Alaska, click here.
The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2018. In the state Senate, 10 of 20 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 40 seats were up for election.
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
Retiring incumbents
Two state Senate Democrats did not seek re-election in 2018.
- Berta Gardner (District I)
- Dennis Egan (District Q)
Five state House Democrats did not seek re-election in 2018.
- Scott Kawasaki (District 1)
- David Guttenberg (District 4)
- Les Gara (District 20)
- Sam Kito (District 33)
- Justin Parish (District 34)
Incumbents defeated
No Democratic incumbents were defeated in 2018.
Competitiveness
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Total candidates | Democratic primaries contested | Republican primaries contested | Total contested | Incumbents contested in primaries | Total incumbents contested in primaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 50 | 15 | 126 | 5 | 23 | 28.0% | 12 | 34.3% |
| 2016 | 50 | 9 | 115 | 4 | 17 | 21.0% | 12 | 29.3% |
| 2014 | 54 | 8 | 106 | 2 | 11 | 12.0% | 4 | 8.7% |
Partisan control
The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska State Senate as of August 2018:
Alaska House of Representatives
| Party | As of August 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 17[1] | |
| Republican Party | 21 | |
| Independent | 2 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
Alaska State Senate
| Party | As of August 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 14 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | |
Battleground races
Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Alaska state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Democratic caucus or had an impact on general election races.
To determine the Alaska state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:
- Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
- One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
- The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.
Media coverage
This section provides an overview of media reactions to the Alaska state legislative Democratic primaries.[2] Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.
Voter information
How the primary works
Alaska uses a top-four primary for congressional and state-level offices. Under Alaska's top-four primary system, all candidates for a given office run in a single primary election. The top four vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, then advance to the general election.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Alaska, polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. Alaska is divided between the Alaska time zone and the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[5][6]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Alaska, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Alaska, and at least 18 years of age or within 90 days of their 18th birthday. An individual convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude may not register to vote until their voting rights have been restored. If registered to vote in another state, applicants must be willing to cancel that registration in order to vote in Alaska. To vote in Alaska, registered voters must be at least 18 years old and have been a resident of the state and election district for at least 30 days.[7]
Prospective voters can register online, with a paper form, or in person at a Division of Elections Office or a voter registration agency.[8] The deadline to register or make changes to a registration is 30 days before an election.[9]
If submitting an application form by mail, fax, or email, the applicant must provide one of the following forms of identification either with his or her application or when voting for the first time:[9]
| “ |
|
” |
Automatic registration
Alaska automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they apply for a Permanent Fund Dividend, unless they opt out.[11]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Alaska has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Alaska allows same-day voter registration in presidential election years, but voters who do so can vote only for the offices of president and vice president.[12]
Residency requirements
Alaska law requires 30 days of residency in the state and election district before a person may vote.[13]
According to the Division of Elections' website, "you are considered an Alaska resident if you reside in the state and intend to remain a resident or, if you temporarily leave the state, you have intention to return (Active military members, spouses or dependents are exempt from the intent to return requirement)."[7]
Verification of citizenship
Alaska does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[14] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The site My Voter Information, run by the Alaska Department of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Alaska requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[15][16]
The following were accepted forms of identification as of July 2024. Click here for the Alaska Division of Elections' page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
- Voter ID card
- Driver’s license
- State ID
- Other photo ID
- Passport
- Hunting or fishing license
- If you do not have the one of the identifications listed above, you may present a current utility bill or paycheck, government check or bank statement or other government issued document. These documents must have your current residence address.[16]
Early voting
Alaska permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Alaska. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by-mail.[17]
If a voter is already registered to vote, an absentee ballot application must be received by elections officials at least 10 days prior to the election. If a voter has not yet registered to vote, or needs to update voter registration information, an absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received at least 30 days before the election.[17]
See also
- Alaska state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
- Alaska House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Alaska State Senate elections, 2018
- Alaska State Legislature
- Alaska elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ A coalition between House Democrats, three Republican representatives, and two independent representatives gave effective control of the chamber to Democrats.
- ↑ In selecting articles for inclusion in this section, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources and viewpoints to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
- ↑ NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "August 18, 2020 Primary Election Information," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Polling Place Hours," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Find Law, "Alaska Statutes Title 15. Elections 15.15.320. Voters in line when polls close," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Alaska Division of Elections, "Who Can Register And Who Can Vote?" accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Register to Vote or Update Your Voter Registration," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Alaska Division of Elections, "State of Alaska Voter Registration Application," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alaska Department of Revenue, “Automatic voter registration,” accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Presidential Elections," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Alaska Department of Revenue, “Automatic voter registration,” accessed March 1, 2023
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes 2018 Sec. 15.15.225 Voter identification at polls," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alaska Division of Elections, "Voting at the Polling Place Election Day," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Alaska Division of Elections, “Absentee and Early Voting,” accessed July 15, 2024
