Alaska's Unique Challenges in Counting Ballots After Election Day

Supreme Court case could end state's 10-day grace period for receiving mail-in ballots, disenfranchising thousands of rural voters

Mar. 22, 2026 at 6:53pm

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Alaska's vast geography, remote villages, and reliance on air travel for mail delivery make it uniquely dependent on a 10-day grace period to count ballots received after Election Day. A Supreme Court case challenging Mississippi's late-arriving ballot policy could end this practice in Alaska, potentially disenfranchising thousands of voters, especially in Alaska Native communities.

Why it matters

Alaska's size, isolation of many communities, and voting system that relies on ballots being flown to a central location make the state particularly vulnerable if the Supreme Court rules against allowing ballots received after Election Day to be counted. This could have a disproportionate impact on Alaska Native voters who already face barriers to accessing the polls.

The details

Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas, with many remote villages that rely on infrequent air service for mail delivery. The state's ranked-choice voting system also requires ballots to be flown to a central location for tabulation. Even with the current 10-day grace period, some 2022 ballots arrived too late to be counted. If the Supreme Court rules against late-arriving ballots, it could disenfranchise an estimated 50,000 Alaskans who voted by mail in the 2024 presidential election.

  • In the 2022 general election, between 55% and 78% of absentee ballots from certain state House districts arrived at election offices after Election Day.
  • Statewide in the 2022 election, about 20% of all absentee ballots were received after Election Day.

The players

Rhonda Pitka

A poll worker and first chief in the village of Beaver, Alaska, which is about a 40-minute plane ride from the nearest city.

Lisa Murkowski

The senior U.S. senator from Alaska, a Republican who sees the Supreme Court case as an effort to end voting by mail nationwide.

Michelle Sparck

The director of Get Out the Native Vote, a nonpartisan voting rights advocacy group affiliated with the Alaska Federation of Natives.

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What they’re saying

“They'll be disenfranchising thousands of people — thousands of people in these rural communities. It's just basically saying that their votes don't count, and that's a real shame.”

— Rhonda Pitka, poll worker and first chief in Beaver, Alaska

“I think we're seeing a level of voter intimidation, I'll just say it. I feel very, very strongly that the effort that we should be making at the federal level is to do all that we can to make our elections accessible, fair and transparent for every lawful voter out there.”

— Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator from Alaska

“There is a minute record of election fraud — not at the rate that requires this heavy-handed response through the legislature and the Supreme Court”

— Michelle Sparck, director of Get Out the Native Vote

What’s next

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the case challenging Mississippi's allowance of late-arriving ballots on Monday. A ruling could come later this year and have major implications for Alaska's voting process.

The takeaway

Alaska's unique geography and reliance on mail-in voting make it particularly vulnerable if the Supreme Court rules against allowing ballots received after Election Day to be counted. This could disproportionately impact Alaska Native voters, raising concerns about voter disenfranchisement in the state's remote communities.