Early voting is underway in the 2018 statewide primary election.
Any registered voter can cast an early vote for any reason; waiting for the Aug. 21 primary election day is not required. Early votes are counted on election day after polls close.
In Juneau, early votes may be cast at two places: the State Office Building downtown and at the Region 1 Division of Elections office in the Mendenhall Mall.
Both locations have ballots from every district in the state.
Any registered voter can also decide to cast an absentee ballot instead of voting early. Any voter can request an absentee ballot by visiting the Alaska Division of Elections website at www.elections.alaska.gov. If you need a ballot mailed to you, you must request it by Saturday. Otherwise, you can download a ballot, have one faxed to you, or have someone pick it up for you.
Absentee ballots can be returned in multiple ways, including by mail.
The difference between absentee voting and early voting is that in early voting, a voter’s eligibility is determined before the ballot is filled out at the polling station. In absentee voting, the ballot is filled out and sealed in an envelope. An elections worker then determines the voter’s eligibility after the ballot is filled out and returned to the polling location, but before it is counted.
• Contact reporter James Brooks at jbrooks@juneauempire.com or 523-2258.
