A ballot measure that would repeal the state’s open primaries and ranked choice voting system is still on track to pass, albeit by a narrow margin, according to updated results released by the Division of Elections Friday night.
“Yes” on Ballot Measure 2 leads by just 1,676 votes, 50.3% to 49.7%, out of 304,154 total votes.
Meanwhile, Republican Nick Begich III continues to lead Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola by more than 9,000 votes in the race for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Begich’s margin has shrunk slightly, but he still leads 48.9% to 45.9%.
Races where no candidate gets 50% of the vote will be subject to ranked choice tabulation on Nov. 20 once all valid ballots are counted.
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The update released Friday by the Division of Elections included more than 17,000 newly counted votes. It brings the total number of ballots counted in races around the state to 321,641, including 60,857 absentee ballots and 72,552 early ballots. The state has also now reported Election Day results from all 403 precincts around the state after incorporating Atqasuk’s votes on Thursday.
The update did not change the leaders in any races.
In legislative contests, the race for a North Anchorage House got even tighter. Incumbent Democrat Cliff Groh now leads challenger David Nelson by just 10 votes out of 3,419.
Sen. Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks Democrat, leads his Republican challenger, Leslie Hajdukovich, by 349 of 11,501 votes.
In an intra-Republican contest, challenger Jubilee Underwood leads Wasilla Rep. David Eastman by 197 votes out of 7,606.
In Northeast Anchorage, Democrat Ted Eischeid leads incumbent Republican Stanley Wright by 196 votes out of 4,747.
Races won by less than 0.5% can be subject to an state-funded recount once all votes are counted. Right now, the Groh/Nelson race is in recount territory, and Ballot Measure 2 is just outside of it.
Races outside the 0.5% threshold can be recounted, but the requester must pay to conduct the recount.
The Division of Elections said Saturday that there are “approximately 14,500” ballots remaining to be counted. A final unofficial count is expected Nov. 20.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Alaska's recount procedures. Races with a less than 0.5% margin can be recounted at the state's expense, but the recount must be requested. Recounts are only automatic in the case of a tie.
Eric Stone covers state government, tracking the Alaska Legislature, state policy and its impact on all Alaskans. Reach him at estone@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @eriwinsto. Read more about Eric here.
