Early Voting Surges Across Alaska and North Dakota

Early voting is underway across several U.S. regions ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with high turnout reported in Alaska and shifting patterns in North Dakota.

In Alaska, early and absentee ballots have reached 58,168, nearing 10% of the electorate. This volume exceeds the 2022 midterm numbers and is on pace to match 2024 record highs. Registered Republicans currently make up 26.7% of early voters, while registered Democrats account for 18.4%. Due to the state's use of ranked choice voting, the Alaska Division of Elections expects to certify final results by November 25, after all international ballots are received.

In North Dakota, Secretary of State Michael Howe reported a decrease in mail-in absentee voting by approximately 4,000 ballots compared to 2022, but a corresponding increase of nearly 9,000 in-person early votes. Howe attributed this trend to voters feeling more comfortable returning to polling stations as the pandemic recedes. He defended the state's security measures, citing the use of paper ballots and air-gapped tabulators.

Similar early activity is occurring in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and northern New Hampshire, where town clerks in St. Johnsbury and Lyndon report hundreds of returned absentee ballots.