For Immediate Release
August 17, 2026
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), and First Alaskans Institute (FAI), partners in Get Out the Native Vote (GOTNV), are deeply concerned by reports of significant vacancies among election workers in rural Alaska precincts, as well as reports that some election workers have waited for months to receive per diem following required election training.
With the August 18 Primary Election just one day away, these concerns cannot be treated as routine administrative matters. Election workers are essential to ensuring that every eligible Alaskan can cast their ballot and that every vote is administered fairly, securely, and accurately.
The Alaska Division of Elections itself recognizes the importance of election workers in administering elections and states that its mission is to ensure public confidence in the electoral process through the highest standards of integrity, security, accuracy, and fairness.
For rural Alaska, the stakes are especially high. Many communities are accessible only by air or water, and local residents are often the people with the knowledge, relationships, and language skills necessary to operate polling places effectively. The State has long recognized the unique challenges of training and staffing election workers in rural Alaska.
That concern is not theoretical. On Saturday, August 15, the Division of Elections’ Region IV office in Nome was not open at the advertised 10:00 a.m. start time for early voting. The Division’s own 2026 Primary Election information lists the Nome office as an Early Vote Location and specifically advertises Saturday, August 15 hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. When an advertised early voting location is not open when voters are told it will be, rural Alaskans can be left without meaningful access to the ballot.
“Rural Alaskans should never have to question whether their polling place will be properly staffed or whether the people who step forward to serve their communities will be treated fairly,” said AFN President Ben Mallott. “Election administration is a fundamental responsibility of government. When Alaskans volunteer to take on that responsibility, the State must provide the training, support, timely payment and resources necessary for them to succeed. We need immediate transparency about the staffing situation and a clear plan to ensure every precinct is ready for Election Day.”
CITC is an active partner in Get Out the Native Vote and is calling on the Alaska Division of Elections to take immediate action to ensure every rural precinct is adequately staffed for the upcoming election.
“This is not simply a matter of election administration — it is a matter of self-determination and community health. When Alaska Native people cannot reliably exercise the right to vote, we are shut out of decisions that directly shape the policies, funding, and systems affecting health and well-being,” said Dana Diehl, CITC’s Vice President of Strategy & Development.
AFN, CITC, FAI, and GOTNV are calling on the Division of Elections to immediately:
- Provide a current, publicly available accounting of election-worker vacancies by region and precinct, particularly in rural Alaska.
- Identify how each vacant position will be filled before the August 18 Primary.
- Provide contingency plans for any precinct that cannot be fully staffed.
- Ensure election workers who have completed required training receive all outstanding per diem and reimbursements without further delay.
- Communicate directly and promptly with election workers about the status of their payments.
- Confirm that required language assistance and voter assistance will be available in communities where it is needed.
- Provide the public with clear information about how staffing shortages will be addressed without compromising the integrity, accessibility, or security of the election.
- Ensure that every advertised early voting location is open and operational during all published voting hours, and establish a clear process for immediately notifying voters and the public when an unexpected closure or delay occurs.
The Division of Elections states that its mission is to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by administering voter registration and elections with the highest level of professional standards, integrity, security, accuracy, and fairness. AFN, CITC, FAI, and GOTNV believe transparency and timely action are essential to maintaining that confidence.
“This is not about politics or political parties,” Mallott said. “This is about the fundamental right of Alaskans to participate in our democracy. Every community matters, every voter matters, and every vote deserves to be administered with the same care and respect.”
“CITC’s mission to respond to the changing needs of Alaska Native people is inseparable from the ability to participate fully in the civic processes that determine access to healthcare, housing, education, and other social determinants of health,” said Diehl. “We urge the Division of Elections to immediately resolve the staffing and administrative concerns ahead of elections, so that no community is left without a voice.”
The experience in Nome underscores why these concerns require immediate attention. Election access is not meaningful if a voter arrives at a state-designated early voting location during its published hours and finds that the doors are closed. Rural Alaskans should not have to overcome additional uncertainty simply to exercise their right to vote.
AFN, CITC, FAI, and GOTNV encourage eligible Alaskans to participate in the August 18 Primary and to make a plan to vote. At the same time, we urge the State to immediately address these staffing and administrative concerns so that rural Alaskans can approach Election Day with confidence.
The right to vote must be matched by a government prepared to administer that right fairly, reliably, and equitably in every Alaska community.
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