A 'really complicated job': Why midterm votes counting is taking so long in America's largest state
Summary
Alaska’s Senate race may not be decided until November 18 because election officials must collect and count ballots from remote communities across the state. Mail, air and boat transport move ballots to Juneau, where officials review and count them before applying ranked-choice voting if no candidate receives more than half the first-round vote.Key Facts
- The Alaska Senate race is between Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola.
- Officials expect to finish counting eligible ballots by November 18.
- Alaska’s vast size and limited road connections make ballot transport difficult.
- Alaska Seaplanes carries ballots from some communities in southeastern Alaska as part of its regular cargo service.
- Ballots from across the state are brought to Juneau for scanning and counting.
- Mail ballots can arrive up to 10 days after Election Day, or up to 15 days later for overseas voters, if they are postmarked by Election Day.
- If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-round vote, officials reallocate votes from the lowest-ranked candidates according to voters’ next choices.
- The final count will also determine the winners of Alaska’s governor and U.S. House races.
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