This is a developing story.
The Alaska Division of Elections released its first round of unofficial election results shortly after 9:15 p.m.
The results represent just under 30% —128 of 441 — of the state’s precincts and fewer votes — 81,656 — than the number of absentee ballots — somewhere in excess of 120,000 — that will be counted in about a week. It”s not quite 14% of Alaska’s 595,647 registered voters.
The unofficial results show President Donald Trump taking just under 58% of the vote and Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden with about 38% of the vote. The results show a similar divide in the races for the U.S. House and Senate with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Republican Rep. Don Young each with more than 58% of the vote. The results show Alyse Galvin, an independent and the Democrat nominee who is running against Young for a second time, had 41.4% of the votes. Al Gross, also a Democrat-backed independent, had just over 37% of the vote in the early, unofficial results.
Voter Holly Gundelfinger talks to an election official in the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Nov. 3, 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
Alaska Division of Elections has repeatedly that a surge in by-mail voting may mean a wait for clear-cut results. Nearly 120,000 by-mail ballots were issued as of Tuesday, according to state data, and nearly 90,000 such ballots had been returned.
Those ballots account for nearly half of the 161,217 ballots returned to the state elections division as of Tuesday. Early in-person voting accounted just over 50,000 votes. Absentee in-person voting accounted for nearly 15,000 returned ballots. No other type of early or absentee voting accounted for more than 10,000 votes, according to state data.
Early vote ballots will be counted on Election Day as will ballots cast at polling places today, according to the state. The state will start counting Absentee ballots, which include by-mail, electronic, absentee in-person, special needs and federal write-in absentee ballots; on Nov. 10.
Nicolas Blanco fills out paperwork ahead of voting absentee at Juneau International Airport on Election Day. Blanco recently moved to Juneau from North Carolina, so cast an absentee ballot. He was assisted by election officials Carol Whelan, right, and Lala Levale, not pictured. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
All seven precincts that make up Juneau’s Alaska State Legislature House District 34 were among the early unofficial results reported. The unofficial results tilted the race between incumbent Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, and Ed King, I-Juneau, toward Story —56.78% to 42.79% — but it was not immediately clear how many absentee ballots are still uncounted from that district.
House District 33 offered some results that should be concrete even though they are early.
Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, who ran unopposed for reelection had just over 93% of the vote with eight of 11 precincts reporting.
• Contact the Juneau Empire at (907)308-4895.
Election official James Zuiderduin walks into a polling place in Thunder Mountain High School. Zuiderduin, an 18-year-old home-schooled student, said he was working as an election official because the $15 per hour pay is attractive. Zuiderduin also voted during a lull in morning activity. This year’s election is the first presidential election in which he has been able to vote. “What a presidential election to vote on,” he said. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
