Look, if you tried to follow the 2024 Alaska election dates without a roadmap, you probably felt like you were navigating the Bush in a whiteout. Alaska doesn't do things like the Lower 48. We've got this wild mix of nonpartisan primaries and ranked-choice voting (RCV) that keeps everyone on their toes. Honestly, the 2024 cycle was a marathon that started in the snow of March and didn't really wrap up until the dark days of late November.
Most people think "Election Day" is just that one Tuesday in November. In Alaska? Not even close. You've basically got a series of hurdles.
The 2024 Alaska Election Dates You Actually Needed
The timeline was a beast. It kicked off with the presidential caucuses, which are totally separate from the state-run primary.
- March 5, 2024: The Republicans held their Super Tuesday caucus. Trump took it with over 87% of the vote.
- April 13, 2024: The Democrats did their thing. It was a voice vote for Biden.
- August 20, 2024: The "real" Primary Election. This is the big one where everyone, regardless of party, is on the same ballot.
- November 5, 2024: The General Election.
Why the August Primary felt so different
Here’s the thing. On August 20, you didn't pick a Republican or a Democrat. You just picked a person. The top four finishers in every race moved on to November. It’s a "Pick One" system at this stage. Mary Peltola, the incumbent Democrat for the U.S. House, actually pulled over 50% in this round, which felt like a massive lead at the time. Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom were trailing, but because of the "Top Four" rule, the drama was just getting started.
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The November General and the RCV "Glitch"
The November 5, 2024 general election is where the ranked-choice voting kicks in. You don't just pick one person; you rank them 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Wait—did you know that if someone gets more than 50% of the first-choice votes, the ranking doesn't even matter? That’s what happened with the Presidential race. Donald Trump cleared the 50% bar immediately with 54.5% of the vote. No rounds of elimination needed.
But the U.S. House race was a total nail-biter. Mary Peltola and Nick Begich were neck-and-neck. It took weeks for the Division of Elections to process the mail-in ballots and run the "instant runoff."
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Expert Insight: In Alaska, we wait 15 days for overseas and military ballots to arrive before we even start the RCV elimination rounds. If you were looking for results on election night, you were looking in the wrong place.
The Ballot Measures that almost changed everything
It wasn't just about politicians. We had two massive ballot measures on the 2024 Alaska election dates calendar.
- Measure 1: Raising the minimum wage and requiring paid sick leave. It passed comfortably.
- Measure 2: This was the attempt to repeal ranked-choice voting and open primaries.
Measure 2 was the real drama. On election night, the "Yes" side (to repeal) was leading. But as the mail-in votes from the more remote parts of the state trickled in, the "No" side caught up. By the time results were certified on November 30, 2024, the repeal failed by a fraction of a percent—about 660 votes. RCV is staying for now.
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Important Deadlines Most People Missed
Registration is the trap. You can't just show up on November 5 and expect to vote for everything.
- October 6, 2024: Was the deadline to register for the general election.
- October 21, 2024: Early voting and "absentee in-person" voting started.
- October 26, 2024: The last day to request a ballot by mail.
If you missed that October 6 deadline, you could still register on Election Day, but only for the President and Vice President races. You were locked out of the local House and Senate seats. Sorta harsh, but that's the law.
Looking Back at the Results
By the time the dust settled in December, the landscape looked a bit different. Nick Begich flipped the U.S. House seat, defeating Peltola with 51.2% after the final RCV tabulation. In the State Senate, a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans maintained control, proving that the open primary system really does favor the middle of the road.
What You Should Do Next
Even though the 2024 Alaska election dates are in the rearview mirror, the system they solidified is what we're living with for 2026.
- Check your registration status now. Don't wait for the next "October 6" deadline. If you moved, update it on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
- Review the RCV process. Since Measure 2 failed, you'll be ranking candidates again in the 2026 midterms. Practice understanding how your 2nd and 3rd choices can actually decide a winner.
- Mark your 2026 calendar. The primary will be August 18, 2026, and the general will be November 3, 2026.
Staying ahead of these dates is the only way to make sure your voice doesn't get lost in the shuffle.