FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2026
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — With the November 3 general election approaching, Get Out the Native Vote (GOTNV) is urging Alaska voters—particularly those in rural and Alaska Native communities—to plan ahead when voting by mail and to be aware of changes affecting the federal mail-ballot process.
What’s happening?
The U.S. Supreme Court recently stayed a lower-court injunction involving the Trump administration’s executive order concerning federal election procedures. The Court did not decide whether the executive order or Postal Service regulations implementing it are lawful. The decision allows the federal government to continue moving forward with implementation while legal challenges proceed.
The Postal Service has also issued a final rule establishing new procedures for certain election mail. Among other requirements, election officials will be required to provide information associated with federal ballot mail through a federal USPS portal, including voter and ballot-envelope information.
These changes are especially important for Alaska because more than 130 precincts rely on the U.S. Postal Service and downstream air carriers to transport election mail.
For voters in remote communities, a ballot’s journey can involve village post offices, small aircraft, regional hubs and multiple transportation connections. Weather, flight schedules, postal hours and staffing can all affect how quickly election materials move.
Recent experiences during Alaska’s August 18 Primary Election demonstrate why voters should plan ahead. A voter in Utqiaġvik reported difficulty getting a mail ballot hand-canceled before the election deadline.
What should Alaska voters do?
1. If you are voting by mail, request your ballot early.
Do not wait until the deadline to request an absentee ballot. Voters who know they will be voting by mail should give themselves as much time as possible for the ballot to be issued, completed and returned.
2. Return your ballot as early as possible.
In rural Alaska, mailing a ballot can take significantly longer than it does in urban communities.
Once you receive your ballot, complete it and return it promptly. Do not assume that mailing a ballot a few days before Election Day will provide enough time for it to reach its destination.
3. Ask the postal clerk to hand-cancel your ballot.
When returning your ballot by mail (use two stamps) voters should ask a postal clerk to hand-cancel the envelope rather than relying solely on a machine postmark.
A hand-cancel can provide documentation that the ballot was mailed on a particular date and can be especially important for voters in communities where mail moves through multiple transportation systems.
4. Find your local Absentee Voting Official or drop it off with a City Clerk.
These are representatives of the State of Alaska, and putting your ballot in their possession is considered part of the Chain of Custody. You can also wait until election day and drop your (without stamps) ballot off in the ballot box at the polling site if in-person voting is available.
5. Keep track of your ballot.
Voters should use available ballot-tracking tools to determine whether their ballot has been received by election officials.
If you are concerned that your ballot has not arrived, contact the Alaska Division of Elections as soon as possible rather than waiting until after Election Day.
6. Make sure your address is correct.
Alaska has many communities where homes and residents do not use conventional street addresses. The Alaska Division of Elections has systems in place to identify voters and assign them to the appropriate precinct.
Voters should make sure the Division of Elections has their current mailing information and should follow the instructions provided with their ballot. (When requesting your ballot by mail, you put your residence down, but you can also designate a trusted site like your regional non-profit or statewide organization address if you know you can pick it up.)
7. If you have questions, ask before Election Day.
If you are unsure about how to return your ballot, whether your address is correct, or whether your ballot has been received, contact the Alaska Division of Elections or your local election officials before Election Day. Direct Message Get Out the Native Vote on Facebook or Instagram, post a comment or email gotnv@nativefederation.org for more assistance.
Why this matters in rural Alaska
Alaska’s election system has to work across one of the largest and most geographically challenging states in the country.
For many Alaska Native villages, election mail does not simply travel from a mailbox to an election office. It may depend on limited postal service, scheduled flights, weather conditions and air carriers moving mail between communities and regional hubs.
Despite an unprecedented number of absentee-ballot applications in Region IV of Western Alaska during this year’s primary, relatively few ballots were ultimately returned by mail amid persistent postal barriers.
GOTNV encourages voters to share this information with family members, elders and neighbors—particularly those who live in communities where mail service is limited or transportation depends on air service.
The bottom line: Don’t wait. If you are voting by mail, request your ballot early, return it as soon as possible, ask for a hand-cancel at the post office, and track your ballot through the election process.
For official information about absentee and mail voting, voters should consult the Alaska Division of Elections and use the most current instructions provided with their ballot.
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