Forms to run for state office are available at the Alaska Division of Elections’ offices in Juneau on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the deadline for potential candidates to file. The state’s new voting system has led to a large number of Alaskans running for office this year. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Forms to run for state office are available at the Alaska Division of Elections’ offices in Juneau on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the deadline for potential candidates to file. The state’s new voting system has led to a large number of Alaskans running for office this year. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Alaska’s elections are packed as filing deadline passes

Many races are hotly contested, others not at all

Alaskans were already looking at a broad field of candidates for the 2022 elections and as the filing deadline passed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, even more candidates are likely to emerge.

The Alaska Division of Elections was still processing filings at the end of the day Wednesday, according to Brian Jackson, election program manager, but dozens of candidates have already filed, often for the same office.

Jackson said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon applications had been coming in all day and staff were working to process them. All eligible candidates will have their names posted to DOE’s website Wednesday night, Jackson said.

While there are a notable 48 candidates for the special primary election to immediately replace the late Don Young, there are only 31 candidates have filed to serve a full term as Alaska’s lone member in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are 20 people running for U.S. Senator, including the incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who according to the Federal Election Commission has a significant financial advantage over her competitors, including former Department of Administration Commissioner, Kelly Tshibaka, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

For governor, Alaskans will have 10 pairings of candidates to choose from, including Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, and his recently appointed pick for a new lieutenant governor, former Department of Corrections Commissioner Nancy Dahlstrom. Other gubernatorial candidates include former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent with former Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Heidi Drygas and former state lawmaker Les Gara with his running mate Jessica Cook, a teacher.

[Local lawmakers all seek reelection]

Races for the Alaska State Legislature have picked up as well, particularly in Anchorage where a recent redistricting process changed the city’s districts. The redistricting process has been under litigation, with many potential candidates waiting until the final districts were approved before filing for office. But while the redistricting process is still being litigated, an Alaska Superior Court order the board to adopt one of the proposed plans for the 2022 election.

Almost a third of the incumbents in the Legislature have declined to run again, and several members of the Alaska House of Representatives are running for seats in the Alaska Senate.

Reps. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage; James Kaufman, R-Anchorage; Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage; Ken McCarty, R-Eagle River; and Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, are all running for Senate seats.

In Juneau, only Rep. Sara Hannan, a Democrat, is facing a challenger. Juneau’s districts changed in the redistricting process as well, and Hannan’s district now includes parts of the Mendenhall Valley and no longer includes the Northern Lynn Canal. Hannan’s district still covers Douglas Island and downtown Juneau, but her district now extends past the Juneau International Airport and is bordered by Riverside Drive and Steven Richards Memorial Drive.

According to DOE, Darrell Harmon, independent, has filed to run for Hannan’s District 4 seat. Harmon did not respond to request for comment.

Rep. Andi Story and Sen. Jesse Kiehl, both Democrats, had no opponents listed by DOE.

This is the first year Alaska will use a new voting system narrowly approved by voters in 2020 which enacted both ranked-choice voting and open primaries. But with the sudden death of Don Young, the new system will get something of a trial run in the special primary election for his replacement. Citing time and personnel constraints, DOE is holding the special primary election almost entirely by mail — though in-person voting is available — with ballots being postmarked no later than June 11 in order to be eligible.

Alaskans won’t actually vote for most candidates until Aug. 16. On that day, Alaskans will vote in open primaries for their state representatives and statewide offices including the governor and U.S. House and Senate seats, but also in a ranked-choice ballot with the top four vote-getters from the June 11 special primary. The winner of the Aug. 16 special election will go on to fill out Don Young’s term until January when the winner of the general election in November is sworn in.

Most of the candidates in the special primary have also filed to run in the general election, though some, including the man who legally changed his name to Santa Claus, are not.

In-person voting

In Juneau, in-person voting is available at the State Office Building on the eighth floor and at DOE’s offices in the Mendenhall Mall.

Hours at both locations are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, voting at the State Office Building is available Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, June 5, from 12-4 p.m.

On Saturday, June 11, in-person voting will be available at the State Office Building from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

For more information visit DOE’s website at elections.alaska.gov.

• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Dec. 15

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Lightering boats return to their ships in Eastern Channel in Sitka on June 7, 2022. (James Poulson/Sitka Sentinel)
Sitka OKs another cruise ship petition for signature drive

Group seeks 300K annual and 4,500 daily visitor limits, and one or more days with no large ships.

The Wrangell shoreline with about two dozen buildings visible, including a Russian Orthodox church, before the U.S. Army bombardment in 1869. (Alaska State Library, U.S. Army Infantry Brigade photo collection)
Army will issue January apology for 1869 bombardment of Wrangell

Ceremony will be the third by military to Southeast Alaska communities in recent months.

Juneau Board of Education members vote during an online meeting Tuesday to extend a free student breakfast program during the second half of the school year. (Screenshot from Juneau Board of Education meeting on Zoom)
Extending free student breakfast program until end of school year OK’d by school board

Officials express concern about continuing program in future years without community funding.

Juneau City Manager Katie Koester (left) and Mayor Beth Weldon (right) meet with residents affected by glacial outburst flooding during a break in a Juneau Assembly meeting Monday night at City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau’s mayor gets an award, city manager gets a raise

Beth Weldon gets lifetime Alaska Municipal League honor; Katie Koester gets bonus, retroactive pay hike.

Dozens of residents pack into a Juneau Assembly meeting at City Hall on Monday night, where a proposal that would require property owners in flood-vulnerable areas to pay thousands of dollars apiece for the installation of protective flood barriers was discussed. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Assembly OKs lowering flood barrier payment for property owners to about $6,300 rather than $8,000

Amended ordinance makes city pay higher end of 60/40 split, rather than even share.

A family ice skates and perfects their hockey prowess on Mendenhall Lake, below Mendenhall Glacier, outside of Juneau, Alaska, Nov. 24, 2024. The state’s capital, a popular cruise port in summer, becomes a bargain-seeker’s base for skiing, skating, hiking and glacier-gazing in the winter off-season. (Christopher S. Miller/The New York Times)
NY Times: Juneau becomes a deal-seeker’s base for skiing, skating, hiking and glacier-gazing in winter

Newspaper’s “Frugal Traveler” columnist writes about winter side of summer cruise destination.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy (left) talks with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and local leaders during an Aug. 7 visit to a Mendenhall Valley neighborhood hit by record flooding. (Photo provided by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office)
Dunleavy to Trump: Give us Mendenhall Lake; nix feds’ control of statewide land, wildlife, tribal issues

Governor asks president-elect for Alaska-specific executive order on dozens of policy actions.

Most Read