Alaska to start counting more votes in Senate and gubernatorial elections

On Tuesday, the state of Alaska will begin a major task still remaining from last week's big national election: The counting of over 50,000 more ballots, some of which haven't even arrived from outer precincts.
As a state with a relatively small population dispersed throughout the largest geographic area in the country, Alaska can take a while to tabulate its elections. The state Division of Election has now received 34,518 additional absentee ballots, 2,651 early votes, plus 15,967 questioned ballots — a category that often includes ballots that were cast at the wrong polling place — the Alaska Dispatch News reports. And that's not all: There might be as many as 10,682 more outstanding absentee ballots.
In the Senate race, Republican nominee Dan Sullivan currently leads incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich by 8,149 votes, a tentative margin of 3.6 percent. And in the gubernatorial race, independent candidate Bill Walker leads incumbent Republican Gov. Sean Parnell by 3,165 votes, or 1.4 percent.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Sudoku hard: October 19, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections