Alaska will put its election system to a major test in the November 2026 US mid-term elections. The state uses an open, non-partisan primary in which candidates from different parties compete on the same ballot. The four candidates who receive the most votes advance to the November election, which uses ranked-choice voting.
Alaska voters will also decide whether to keep that system. A ballot measure known as 24ESEG would repeal the open primary and ranked-choice voting and return the state to a more traditional election system. The measure will appear on the November 3 ballot, reported Alaska Beacon.
Alaska also has a closely watched US Senate race. Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is seeking another term against Democrat Mary Peltola. Another candidate named Dan J Sullivan also reached the November ballot after the August primary. Reuters has included Alaska among the competitive Senate contests that could matter for control of the chamber.
How does Alaska vote now?
Alaska changed its election system after voters approved a ballot initiative in 2020. The new system first applied to state and federal elections in 2022.
Under the current rules, Alaska does not hold separate party primaries for most major offices. Candidates from different parties compete in the same primary. Voters choose one candidate, and the four candidates with the highest vote totals move to the general election.
Alaska Beacon described the system ahead of the August 2026 primary as an election in which voters select one candidate, with the top four finishers advancing to the November election. Voters can then rank candidates in the general election.
The second part of the system is ranked-choice voting. Instead of selecting only one candidate in November, voters can rank candidates by preference. A voter can choose a first choice, second choice and additional choices.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes after the first count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Votes cast for that candidate then move to the next preference marked on those ballots. The process continues until one candidate receives a majority.
The system therefore changes both stages of the election. The primary determines the four candidates who move forward, while ranked-choice voting determines the winner in November.
Alaska Beacon reported in July that voters would choose one candidate in the August primary and that the top four candidates in each race would advance to the November 3 general election.
What will ballot measure change?
The November ballot measure, identified as 24ESEG, would repeal Alaska’s current open-primary and ranked-choice voting system.
The measure would bring back a more traditional system with party primaries and a single-choice general election. It would also repeal campaign-disclosure rules that voters approved in 2020, reported Alaska Beacon.
In August, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld most of the state’s ballot language. The court ordered one additional change to make clear that, if the measure passes, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run separately rather than together on one ticket, reported Alaska Beacon.
The proposal affects more than ranked-choice voting. It would change several parts of how Alaska conducts elections. If voters reject the measure, the existing open-primary and ranked-choice system would remain in place. If voters approve it, Alaska would move back toward a party-based primary system and single-choice general elections.
Senate race 2026
The 2026 Alaska Senate race offers a clear example of how the state’s current system works. Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola and another candidate named Dan J Sullivan will compete in the November election.
The unusual situation began in the August primary, where the top four candidates advanced regardless of party.
Peltola received 82,000 votes in the primary, compared with about 69,000 for Senator Dan Sullivan, reported Reuters. Dan J. Sullivan also received enough votes to qualify for the November ballot.
In Alaska’s current system, more than one candidate from the same party can reach the general election.
Under a conventional party-primary system, each major party would normally choose its nominee before the general election. Alaska’s open primary instead allows the four highest vote-getters to advance.
What happens on November 3?
Alaska voters will make two different types of decisions on November 3. They will vote in races for public office, including the US Senate contest. They will also vote on whether to change the state’s election system.
If 24ESEG fails, Alaska will continue with its current open-primary and ranked-choice system.
If it passes, the state will begin the process of returning to party primaries and single-choice general elections, along with the other changes included in the measure.
The ballot question therefore has consequences beyond the 2026 election cycle. It could determine how Alaskans choose candidates in future elections as well.
For now, the key point is that Alaska is not simply holding another competitive Senate race. It is also asking voters to decide whether the election rules themselves should remain the same.
Disclaimer: This article is published by Financial Express Digital for informational purposes only. It does not endorse or oppose any candidate, political party or ballot measure and does not predict or suggest the outcome of the November 2026 US midterm elections.