Eight Alaskans in Singapore, Honolulu, Canada and Fairbanks cast the first ballots in Alaska’s Nov. 3 general election, according to data released Friday by the Alaska Division of Elections.
The data, released weekly before Election Day, shows those voters' absentee ballots were received by the state Thursday. Their votes, though the first to be received, will not be counted until after Election Day.
Bailey Breedlove, one of the eight, voted in Alaska for the first time this year after graduating from college in Virginia and moving to Fairbanks with her spouse, who is in the military.
“I’m a nurse, and I was just a little concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic and not exposing myself more than I need to,” she said.
We do not count absentee ballots until all Election Day in-person ballots are counted. This is a security measure so we can complete a voter history and prevent duplicate voting. Ballots will be logged and process as they arrive. But they will not be opened.
— AK Division of Elections (@ak_elections) September 25, 2020
Absentee ballots are scheduled to go out to voters in Alaska and other U.S. states next month, but absentee ballots for overseas voters, members of the military and some military family members were sent last week. Alaskans who vote absentee can ask to have a blank ballot emailed to them, and four of the eight ballots cast Thursday were emailed. The remaining four were sent physically to voters.
Breedlove requested her ballot Sept. 2 and it was mailed last Friday. It arrived, she filled it out and mailed it back. It arrived at the Division of Elections on Thursday.
“It was pretty straightforward,” she said.
Any registered Alaska voter can vote absentee by mail, but they must first request an absentee ballot. A form is available online.
Sixteen percent of the state’s registered voters have signed up to vote absentee, according to state data. That’s a record high, and the deadline for the state to receive a request for an absentee paper ballot is Oct. 24. The U.S. Postal Service recommends requesting a ballot no later than Oct. 20.
Alaskans who want a ballot emailed to them must do so by Nov. 2.
One option for returning absentee ballots is by fax (most smartphones have apps that can send faxes), allowing for speedy returns. The Division of Elections data does not say whether the completed eight ballots were returned electronically.
According to state data, 33% of registered Democrats have requested absentee ballots, but only 16% of registered Republicans and 12% of registered independents have done so.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 4. Alaskans can check their registration status and the status of their absentee ballot online at myvoterinformation.alaska.gov.
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