Alaska2026Passed Legislature
SB179
Alaska SB 179: Changing General Election Ballots to Three Candidates
Last scannedSep 12, 2026, 4:46 AM
In one sentence
This bill changes Alaska's general election rules so that voters rank up to two candidates and limits the number of names on the ballot for each office from four to three.
What it does
- Requires the director of elections to design ballots using ranked-choice voting methods.
- Limits voter instructions to marking only their first choice and second choice in order of preference.
- Removes language that previously allowed voters to mark as many choices as they wished on a single ballot.
- Reduces the maximum number of candidates appearing for any office in a general election from four to three.
Who it affects
- Voters participating in Alaska state general elections
- Candidates running for offices such as governor, senator, or representative
- The director responsible for preparing official ballots
Limits and unknowns
- The provided text does not state when this law will officially take effect.
- The excerpt ends before fully explaining how ties between final candidates are resolved under these new rules.
- The bill summary mentions reducing candidates to three, but the specific process for selecting which three appear on the ballot is not detailed in this text.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Ranked-choice voting
- A system where voters list candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one.
- Overvote
- When a ballot has more votes marked for the same ranking than allowed, making that part of the vote inactive.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
GENERAL ELECTION: THREE CANDIDATES An Act relating to ranked-choice voting; and reducing the number of candidates in a general election from four to three.
Official activity
Bill history
- (S) REFERRED TO STATE AFFAIRS917
- (S) STA, CRA917
- (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS917