Governor Mike Dunleavy scheduled a Tuesday afternoon press conference regarding the upcoming special election to fill the seat left by Congressman Don Young’s passing on Friday. The U.S. Constitution requires an election for a vacant U.S. House seat, not allowing for appointments. Dunleavy stated that he intends on issuing a proclamation that would hold a by-mail special primary on June 11 and a special election on August 16, the same day as the regular primary election, per the preferences of the Alaska Division of Elections.
The special primary election will be an open, non-partisan primary where the top four candidates advance. This election will not determine party nominees. The special election will be a ranked choice election, where voters may rank up to four candidates and a write-in candidate from first to last.
Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer stated:
“Once the governor makes his proclamation, we hope to have all this done by April 1. The filing will end April 1. We need that deadline, then, to know who the candidates are, get the ballots printed, and then get them sent to the overseas military and others that live internationally. The federal law then says that they have to have their ballots in 45 days before the election. There’s not a whole lot of time there, but what this does allow us though with this timing and then if we work the timing correctly is that we can then do the special general election at the same time we do the regular primary election, which will be August 16. This at least will save, and by the way, that will be done in a traditional matter, that election. As was mentioned, the ballot will not only include the normal primary candidates, but it will also include the special general election, which will be the ranked choice.”
Candidates must file a declaration of candidacy and pay a $100 filing fee, just like for a regularly scheduled election. They must file this declaration after the proclamation and before the deadline, which will be April 1 at 5:00 p.m. The division of Elections’ five regional offices will be open for in-person filing on Saturday March 26 (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), Sunday, March 27 (Noon to 2:00 p.m.), Seward’s Day, Monday, March 28 (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), and Tuesday, March 29 through Friday, April 1 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).
Even though the special election will occur on the same day – and on the same ballot – as the primary election, these are actually two different elections. As a result, a candidate could run in the special election for the vacant seat and in the primary for state office. Whoever wins the election for the vacant seat cannot hold two offices at the same time.
The results of the special primary are scheduled to be certified on June 25 and the results of the primary and special election are scheduled to be certified on September 2.
Click here for more information on Ranked Choice Voting.