Overview:
The Alaska Federation of Natives, Cook Inlet Tribal Council and First Alaskans Institute are urging the Alaska Division of Elections to immediately address staffing vacancies, ensure workers are paid, provide language and voter assistance, and guarantee that advertised early voting locations remain open during published hours. The groups point to a reported closure of the Nome early voting location on August 15 as an example of how administrative problems can create barriers to voting in rural Alaska.
Native Vote 2026
With Alaska’s August 18 primary election just one day away, three Alaska Native organizations are raising concerns about election-worker vacancies in rural communities and reports that some election workers have waited months to receive per diem payments after completing required election training.
The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), and First Alaskans Institute (FAI), partners in Get Out the Native Vote (GOTNV), say the issues must be addressed immediately to ensure rural Alaska voters have reliable access to the ballot.
Election workers play a critical role in ensuring elections are administered fairly, securely and accurately. The Alaska Division of Elections states that its mission is to maintain public confidence in the electoral process through the highest standards of integrity, security, accuracy and fairness.
For rural Alaska, election staffing presents unique challenges. Many communities can be reached only by air or water, while local residents often possess the community knowledge, relationships and language skills necessary to operate polling locations effectively.
The concerns were highlighted on Saturday, August 15, when the Division of Elections’ Region IV office in Nome was not open at the advertised 10 a.m. start time for early voting.
The Division’s 2026 Primary Election information lists the Nome office as an early voting location and advertises Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
When an advertised voting location is closed during published hours, voters can be left without meaningful access to the ballot, the organizations said.
“Rural Alaskans should never have to question whether their polling place will be properly staffed or whether the people who step forward to serve their communities will be treated fairly,” said AFN President Ben Mallott. “Election administration is a fundamental responsibility of government. When Alaskans volunteer to take on that responsibility, the State must provide the training, support, timely payment and resources necessary for them to succeed.”
Mallott called for immediate transparency regarding election-worker staffing and a clear plan to ensure every precinct is prepared for Election Day.
CITC, an active partner in Get Out the Native Vote, is also calling on the Alaska Division of Elections to take immediate action to ensure rural precincts are adequately staffed.
“This is not simply a matter of election administration — it is a matter of self-determination and community health,” said Dana Diehl, CITC vice president of Strategy & Development. “When Alaska Native people cannot reliably exercise the right to vote, we are shut out of decisions that directly shape the policies, funding, and systems affecting health and well-being.”
AFN, CITC, FAI and GOTNV are calling on the Division of Elections to take several immediate steps:
- Provide a current, publicly available accounting of election-worker vacancies by region and precinct, particularly in rural Alaska.
- Identify how vacant positions will be filled before the August 18 primary.
- Provide contingency plans for precincts that cannot be fully staffed.
- Ensure election workers who have completed required training receive all outstanding per diem and reimbursements without further delay.
- Communicate directly and promptly with election workers about the status of their payments.
- Confirm that required language and voter assistance will be available in communities where it is needed.
- Provide clear public information about how staffing shortages will be addressed without compromising election integrity, accessibility or security.
- Ensure every advertised early voting location is open and operational during published voting hours.
- Establish a clear process for immediately notifying voters and the public when an unexpected closure or delay occurs.
The organizations said the experience in Nome demonstrates why election staffing and administrative issues require immediate attention.
Election access, they said, is not meaningful if voters arrive at a state-designated early voting location during published hours and find the doors closed.
“This is not about politics or political parties,” Mallott said. “This is about the fundamental right of Alaskans to participate in our democracy. Every community matters, every voter matters, and every vote deserves to be administered with the same care and respect.”
Diehl said CITC’s mission is closely connected to Alaska Native participation in civic life because government decisions affect access to health care, housing, education and other social determinants of health.
“We urge the Division of Elections to immediately resolve the staffing and administrative concerns ahead of elections, so that no community is left without a voice,” Diehl said.
AFN, CITC, FAI and GOTNV are encouraging eligible Alaskans to participate in Tuesday’s primary election and make a plan to vote.
At the same time, the organizations are urging the State of Alaska to address the staffing, payment and administrative concerns immediately so rural voters can approach Election Day with confidence.
The groups said the right to vote must be matched by a government prepared to administer that right fairly, reliably and equitably in every Alaska community.
