Alaskans continue to wait for additional results from several key races on the general election ballot, including a closely watched U.S. Senate contest and the race to fill an open governor’s seat.
The Senate campaign between two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola remained too early to call as election officials continued counting ballots from across the state.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, arrives for the Senate Republicans leadership election in the Capitol on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Big picture view:
A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska’s unique election system, which combines open primaries with ranked-choice voting in general elections, also remained undecided.
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What they're saying:
Peltola addressed supporters Tuesday night after Democrats secured enough seats nationally to gain control of the U.S. Senate. While celebrating the broader outcome, she cautioned that Alaska’s final results would take time.
"It’s going to take a long time to make sure we’re counting every vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young people going to colleges," Peltola said.
Former Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat from Alaska and US Senate candidate, during an "Alaska Forever" campaign event at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, Alaska, US, on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Photographer: Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg v
With thousands of ballots still outstanding and ranked-choice tabulation potentially required, the outcome of Alaska’s marquee races may not be known for weeks.
How long it could take to count
Big picture view:
Alaska has approximately 600,000 registered voters spread across a vast state where many remote communities are accessible only by plane or boat, making ballot collection and counting a lengthy process.
The extended timeline is nothing new for Alaska elections. In the state's 2008 and 2010 U.S. Senate races, it took roughly two weeks to determine a winner.
RELATED: Election recounts: How they work in each state and who pays for the recount
Dig deeper:
State officials accept ballots from overseas voters for up to 15 days after Election Day, with Nov. 18 targeted for tabulation under the ranked-choice voting system. Alaska also allows up to 10 days for absentee ballots mailed from within the United States to arrive, a critical window for rural communities that rely heavily on air service for mail delivery.
Under Alaska's ranked-choice system, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed according to voters' next preferences. The process continues until a candidate receives a majority.
Both Senate campaigns have urged patience as election workers continue counting ballots.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.