Alaskans make picks for president and more as early voting begins

Hate Hillary Clinton? Terrified of a Donald Trump presidency? Or has an Alaska legislative candidate inspired you to vote for the first time?

Your wait is finally over. Early voting began Monday at more than 150 polling places across the state.

When voting started in the chilly fall morning in Anchorage, with temperatures in the high teens, the line at the regional election office at 2525 Gambell St. stretched down a hallway, through the lobby and out the door, said Cindy Hawkins, a poll worker.

"It's going to pretty well set the destiny of the country for the next four years," said Anchorage resident Mike Schowen, 65, who voted early Monday to "avoid the rush" on Election Day, Nov. 8.

At the Anchorage elections office, officials seated at six computers checked voters' information amid a steady turnout that workers said was typical for the first day.

A separate early voting place was open in downtown Anchorage at City Hall.

In the 250-resident North Slope village of Kaktovik, at the edge of the Beaufort Sea, no early voters had shown up by 11 a.m., though City Clerk Keith Sims said one man asked about it before the polls opened.

"I haven't seem him yet," Sims said, adding that in a past election, about two-dozen people voted before Election Day.

The state Elections Division's website lists the early voting locations. If you're traveling and still want to vote early, ballots for each of the state's 40 districts are available at the regional elections offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome and Wasilla, as well as at Anchorage City Hall and the State Office Building in Juneau.

You can also request a by-mail absentee ballot until Saturday — and you can even apply for an email ballot until the day before the election. Find information about how to get those ballots at the Elections Division website, elections.alaska.gov.