In Alaska’s first statewide by-mail election, turnout was highest for a primary since 2014

Final preliminary results posted Tuesday night by the Alaska Division of Elections show 161,614 people voted in the special election for U.S. House, Alaska’s first statewide election by mail. With 27.5% of registered voters participating, it’s the highest turnout in a primary since 2014 and the sixth-highest in the past 20 years.

Forty-eight candidates entered the race, and ordinarily, the top four finishers would advance to the Aug. 16 special general election, but the third-place finisher, Al Gross, said he will withdraw from the race.

Elections officials said that will leave only three finalists. The fifth-place finisher, Tara Sweeney, does not plan to challenge that decision in court, according to her campaign manager.

Finishing first in the preliminary results is Republican candidate Sarah Palin, with 27% of the vote. Second is Republican Nick Begich with 19.1%.

Gross, a nonpartisan candidate, is third at 12.6%, followed by Democratic candidate Mary Peltola with 10.1% of the vote.

Sweeney, a Republican, is fifth with 5.9%. Undeclared candidate Santa Claus, who has referred to himself as a Bernie Sanders-style progressive, is in sixth with 4.7% of the vote.

Democratic candidate Chris Constant is seventh (3.9%), followed by nonpartisan Jeff Lowenfels (3.7%), Republican John Coghill (2.4%) and Republican Josh Revak (2.4%).

No candidate outside the top 10 had more than 2% of the vote.

Election workers are expected to certify the results by Saturday after checking some votes by hand and conducting further review as required by state law.

At least 7,426 of the received ballots were disqualified and not counted for any candidate, based on a preliminary tally published Monday.

The rejection rate was running above 17% in one Southwest Alaska state House district and above 14% in a House district along the Bering Strait.

Turnout increased in 35 of the 40 state House districts compared with the 2020 primary. The only districts with fewer ballots cast were the four districts in Northern and Western Alaska, and the district that includes most of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

After certification, the Division of Elections will publish a report identifying the reasons for rejection and will notify voters whose ballot was cast but not counted for any candidate.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon. an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.