Early voting began Monday morning in Alaska’s general election, more than two weeks ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.
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Stephen Kirch, spokesman with the Alaska Division of Elections, said he had seen lots of photos of long lines in Fairbanks and Anchorage.
“I do know, just anecdotally, people were very enthusiastic, optimistic about getting out to vote,” he said. “Some people, from what I heard, were willing to wait an hour and a half in line to vote. So it seems like there’s a lot of energy out there.”
According to the division, nearly 7,000 people had voted by 10:40 a.m. Tuesday. Kirch said he didn’t have the numbers to compare the turnout to past years. It’s still a small percent of the total turnout expected: During Alaska’s last midterm election, in 2022, roughly 267,000 people voted.
Kirch said this year’s ballot may be encouraging people to vote before Election Day.
“It’s an interesting ballot,” he said. “I think people are seeing competitive races and they want to get involved and they feel —maybe they feel like their vote counts this year.”
Alaskans can vote early at locations across the state, including, in Anchorage, at City Hall and the Midtown Mall. On Monday, lines stretched through the mall past the Guitar Center. Many people waited an hour or more to vote.
Wesley Holloway, near the front of the line, said he was voting early ahead of a vacation to Hawaii.
“The line’s moving pretty steadily, and everybody seems to be in good spirits,” he said. “ So, worth the wait.”
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Charles Travis had also been standing in line for over an hour. He said he’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecast.
“I’d rather do it when the roads are wet than when the roads are icy,” he said. “That pretty much sums it up. And I’m retired, and I have nothing but time, so I can wait.”
But Melinda Taylor was not interested in waiting. She stood in line for about 20 minutes, she said. Then she got a call from a friend: the other polling place was a much better option.
“I’m on my way to City Hall to vote there because I think the line is shorter,” she said.
Rocky Plotnick was ready for the wait. She said she’d never seen the parking lot so packed. She was excited so many people showed up to vote on the first day.
“If you look at the percentage of eligible voters in Alaska who have voted in the last few elections, it’s appalling how few people actually show up and vote,” she said.
Plotnick said she wanted to vote early so that she could be available to help other people get to the polls if anyone needed it.
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