Alaska early voting tops 2022 pace and nears record despite two-Dan-Sullivans fight

More than 58,000 Alaskans have already cast ballots in the midterm election, according to the state Division of Elections data cited by Newsweek. That is nearly 10 percent of the state's registered voters ¹.

Of those ballots, more than 39,000 were cast at early voting sites and more than 19,000 were absentee ballots ¹. Early voting at this point is about 1,500 ahead of the 2022 midterm, with six days left before Election Day on Nov. 3 ¹.

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Close to the 2024 record

The total is approaching the record 73,146 early voters from the 2024 presidential election ¹. Early voting began statewide around Oct. 19, and any Alaskan can vote absentee ².

Republicans made up nearly 27 percent of early voters, against 18.4 percent for Democrats, according to an Alaska Beacon report cited by Newsweek ¹. Early votes are only a partial picture of who will win.

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The ballot fight

The turnout comes amid a dispute over a second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, who will appear on the ballot with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference ¹².

Republicans allege the namesake candidacy was meant to confuse voters and help Democrat Mary Peltola. A recent New York Times report said Democratic operatives were involved in recruiting him ¹. Peltola's campaign has rejected all the allegations ¹.

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The Justice Department (DOJ) has sued Alaska over the second candidacy. The suit aims to stop the state from certifying the election result if Sullivan falls short ¹. Peltola called the suit "frivolous" ¹.

President Trump weighed in on Truth Social on Wednesday. He claimed Democrats in Alaska illegally recruited the second Sullivan and said they "perjured themselves." That is his claim; the newswire copy reports no court ruling on it ¹.

Where the race stands

Peltola leads in the most recent polls cited by Newsweek. A Data For Progress survey of 675 likely voters, taken Oct. 8 to 16, had her ahead 51 percent to 49 percent in the final ranked-choice round ¹.

An InsiderAdvantage poll of 1,200 likely voters, taken Oct. 9 and 10, had her ahead 50.1 percent to 48 percent in the final round ¹. A New York Times/Siena poll of 504 likely voters, taken Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, had her ahead 50 percent to 43 percent ¹.

Earlier this month, Sabato's Crystal Ball, a University of Virginia political forecast, moved the race from "Toss-Up" to "Leans Democratic" ¹. Republicans hold the Senate 53-47 now ¹.

What happens next

Voters have until Nov. 3 to vote, and absentee ballots must be received or postmarked by then ². The DOJ suit remains pending. Newsweek said it had asked the Peltola and Sullivan campaigns for comment ¹.

That matters because the turnout is happening alongside a legal fight over whether the result will be certified. Record-level voting makes the voters' choice harder to dispute.

The Record

1. Oct 19, 2026Early voting began across Alaska ahead of the Nov. 3 election ².
2. Oct 28, 2026Trump posted on Truth Social calling for Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot ¹.
3. Oct 28, 2026More than 58,000 Alaskans had cast ballots, ahead of the 2022 midterm pace ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Early Voting in Alaska on Pace to Hit Record Amid Two Dan Sullivans Fiasco” (2026-10-28). newsweek.com/alaska-dan-sullivan-trump-mary-peltola-early-vo
2. Alaska's News Source, “Early voting begins in Alaska with neck-and-neck Senate race front of mind” (2026-10-19). alaskasnewssource.com/2026/10/19/early-voting-begins-alaska-

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