elections.alaska.gov Absentee Voting

Organization : Division of Elections
Facility : Absentee Voting
State : Alaska
Country : United States

Absentee Voting : https://www.elections.alaska.gov/
Home Page : http://www.elections.alaska.gov/

Absentee Voting :
Absentee Early and In-Person Voting :
Beginning 15 days prior to an election, and continuing through Election Day, voters may vote :
** Absentee early at a Regional Elections Office in the jurisdiction where the voter is registered. Regional offices are located in Juneau, Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks and Nome; or
** Absentee in-person at any Regional Elections Office or absentee voting location.

What is the difference between absentee in-person voting and early voting? :
When voting early, the voter’s eligibility to vote is verified at the time of voting through the Division of Elections statewide voter registration system. A voter is eligible to vote early if the voter is voting at the Regional Elections Office and if the voter’s registration record is active and current. Early voting is available only during Primary, General and Statewide Special Elections. Since the voter’s eligibility to vote could be verified, the voter simply signs a certificate and the voted ballot is placed directly into the ballot box. When voting absentee in-person, the voter’s eligibility to vote is verified after the voter is issued a ballot. Absentee in-person voting is available at each Regional Elections Office and at many absentee voting locations throughout the state. Since the voter’s eligibility could not be verified at the time of voting, the voter’s voted ballot is placed inside an absentee voting envelope prior to being placed in the ballot box.

When do absentee early and in-person voting sites open? ;
Most absentee early vote and in-person voting sites open 15 days before Election Day and remain open through Election Day. Times and dates may vary depending on the location and/or community.

What ballots are available at each site? :
Some voting sites will have ballots for all 40 house districts, some will have ballots for a single district and some will have ballots for multiple districts at one location.

When are absentee early and in-person ballots counted? :
The Division of Elections counts all absentee early and in-person ballots that are eligible to be counted from election night through up to 15 days after the election. The dates and times when absentee early and in-person ballots are counted will be determined prior to each election

Voting By-Mail and Electronic Transmission :
** The next federal and state elections to be conducted by the Division of Elections will be in August and November of 2016.
** You may begin to apply for an absentee ballot for the 2016 elections, beginning on January 1, 2016.
If you are checking your absentee ballot status for the October 6, 2015 Regional Educational Attendance Area Elections local school board in rural areas of Alaska, please contact the Absentee and Petition office for absentee ballot status.

Voting By-Mail :
Receive a ballot through the mail.
Voting By Electronic Transmission :
Request a ballot through our secure online ballot solution or have a ballot faxed to you.
Absentee By-Mail or Electronic Transmission Application and Ballot Status :
** 1. Enter your information
** 2. Verify that your Absentee Ballot Application has been processed
** 3. Check the date your ballot was sent
** 4. Verify that your returned ballot was received

Voting By-Mail :
Who can vote a by-mail ballot? :
** Any qualified voter registered in the State of Alaska may apply for a ballot through the mail..

When can I apply for a by-mail ballot? :
** Voters may begin applying for a by-mail ballot beginning in January of each election year. Visit our Elections Dates and Hours web page for upcoming Primary, General or Statewide Special Elections.

What is the deadline to submit a by-mail ballot request? :
** If you are a qualified registered voter and do not have any changes to your registration record, your completed application MUST be received by the Division of Elections no later than 10 days before Election Day.
** If you need to Initially register to vote, your completed application must be received or postmarked on or before 30 days prior to Election Day. For presidential elections, complete your application to initially register to vote and participate in ONLY the presidential race and vote by electronic transmission.
** If you need to update your residence address, name or party affiliation, your completed application must be received or postmarked 30 days prior to Election Day in order for your change(s) to be eligible for an election. Otherwise, your completed application MUST be received 10 days before Election Day.
** Visit our Elections Dates and Hours web page for by-mail deadline dates of Primary, General or Statewide Special Elections.

Where can I obtain an application? :
** Enter your information into our form wizard to generate a PDF downloadable Absentee Ballot Application to print and sign.
** Print an Absentee Ballot Application to complete by hand and sign.
** Send your completed application to the Absentee and Petition Office. You may send your application by mail, fax or email as an attached PDF, TIFF, or JPG file.
** Contact a Division of Elections Office.

Absentee Voting by Electronic Transmission :
Who can vote an electronic transmission ballot? :
Any qualified voter registered in the state of Alaska may apply for an electronic transmission ballot.

When can I apply for an electronic transmission ballot? :
You may apply for an electronic transmission ballot beginning 15 days before each Election Day. Visit our Elections Dates and Hours web page for upcoming primary, general or statewide special elections.

What type of office equipment do I need? :
** When voting by fax, you will need to have access to a fax machine.
** When voting through the secure online voting solution, you will need access to a computer, printer and, if returning the voted ballot through the secure online voting solution, have equipment (such as a scanner) to be able to produce a digital file (PDF, TIFF or JPG) of the completed Voter Certificate and Identification sheet.

How do I vote an electronic transmission ballot? :
By Fax:
The division will send a by-fax voting packet that contains a ballot, Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and instructions to the fax number you provided.

Upon receipt of the voting packet, you will :
** Vote your ballot by filling in the ovals next to your choices.
** After voting, in the presence of a witness, sign your Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and provide at least ONE identifier (voter number, Alaska driver’s license number, date of birth or last 4 of Social Security Number).
** Have your signature witnessed by either an authorized official (postal official, municipal clerk, Notary Public, or any other official authorized and willing administer the oath) or by a person who is over the age of 18.

** Return your voted ballot and Voter Certificate and identification sheet to the division. You may choose to return your ballot by mail or by fax. When returning the ballot by mail you will be provided with instructions and address information to return BOTH the voted ballot and Voter Certificate and Identification sheet. The return ballot envelope must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

When returning the ballot by fax you will be provided with instructions and a return fax number to return the voted ballot and Voter Certificate and Identification sheet. BOTH the Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and ballot must be received on or before 8:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on Election Day. When returning a ballot by fax, you are voluntarily waiving your right to a secret ballot and are assuming the risk that a faulty transmission may occur.

Secure Online Voting Solution:
An email will be sent to the email address you provided notifying you of ballot availability.
Upon receipt of the email from the division, you will :
** Open the link to the website provided in the email.
** Log into the secure online voting solution.
** Vote your ballot by selecting ballot choices on screen.
** Save the digital PDF file of your voted ballot on your computer.
** After voting, print the Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and in the presence of a witness, sign your Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and provide at least ONE identifier (voter number, Alaska driver’s license number, date of birth or last 4 of Social Security Number).
** Have your signature witnessed by either an authorized official (postal official, municipal clerk, Notary Public, or any other official authorized and willing to administer the oath) or by a person who is over the age of 18.
** Return your voted ballot and Voter Certificate and Identification sheet to the division. You may choose to return your ballot by mail or through the secure online voting solution.

When returning the ballot by mail you will be provided with instructions and address information to return BOTH the voted ballot and Voter Certificate and Identification sheet. The return ballot envelope must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

When returning the ballot through the secure online voting solution you will need to produce a digital file (PDF, TIFF or JPEG) of your Voter Certificate and Identification sheet. To ensure the highest level of security, ballots must be returned online using a recent version of Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer 10 or higher. You will upload your digitally saved ballot and Voter Certificate and Identification sheet. BOTH the Voter Certificate and Identification sheet and ballot must be received on or before 8:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on Election Day. When returning the ballot through the secure online voting solution, your are voluntarily waving your right to a secret ballot and are assuming the risk that a faulty transmission may occur.

When is the deadline to submit an electronic transmission ballot request? :
[b][u]** The last day to apply for an electronic transmission ballot is 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time the day before Election Day.
** For presidential elections, if you wish to initially register to vote and participate in ONLY the presidential race and vote an electronic transmission ballot, you must also complete a Voter Registration Application.
** Visit our Elections Dates and Hours web page for electronic transmission deadline dates of upcoming primary, general or statewide special elections.

Where can I obtain an application? :
To request an electronic transmission ballot, you may complete an Absentee Electronic Transmission Ballot Application beginning 15 days before Election Day and submit it to the Absentee and Petition Office.
** The Absentee Electronic Transmission Application will be posted at 8:00 a.m. Alaska Standard Time on Monday, August 1, 2016 for the August 16, 2016 Primary Election.
** The Absentee Electronic Transmission Application will be posted at 8:00 a.m. Alaska Standard Time on Monday, October 24, 2016 for the November 8, 2016 General Election.
** Contact the Absentee and Petition Office if you have any additional questions.