Election Series

Protecting Your Rights: Serving West Anchorage

In this issue:

• Election Series: The History of Primary Election Systems in Alaska
• Back to School
• Community Information & Events



Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Primary Election is on August 18th. This week in our Election Series, we discuss the history of the primary election systems in Alaska.

Also, we provide Back-to-School information from the Anchorage School District.

Read on to learn more.

Since territorial days, Alaska has largely used a blanket primary system, an election system in which voters choose from all candidates of all parties listed on a single ballot. The system used in Alaska’s primary election today follows on the legacy and history of using blanket primaries since before statehood. But we haven’t always used a blanket primary. We'll explain the history of those changes below.



State primaries are categorized into three systems: closed, open, or blanket.

Closed Primaries require the voter to declare a party preference before Primary Election Day. Each primary voter receives a ballot listing only the primary candidates of their party.

Open Primaries do not require the voter to declare a party preference before Primary Election Day. Instead, election workers ask the voter at the time of voting to name the party ballot on which they want to vote.

Blanket Primaries allow voters to choose from all candidates that qualify for the primary ballot, including candidates of all parties. Voters can choose a candidate from their own party or from another party as they cast their single vote.

In early territorial days, Alaska used an open primary system. In a 1947 referendum, Alaskans adopted a blanket primary system that, except for a seven-year period after statehood, remained Alaska’s primary system for the next 45 years.



First change from the blanket primary: Alaska’s First Legislature replaced the blanket primary with a single-ballot open primary system. After unsuccessful attempts to return to the blanket primary over the next three legislatures, the 1967 legislature voted to return to the blanket primary system with the support of Governor Wally Hickel. Alaska used the blanket primary system for the next 25 years.

Legislative Research Director Gordon Harrison wrote in 1990: “The blanket primary seems to suit Alaska, where party ties and party organizations are weak. However, some Democratic and Republican party loyalists, who lament the decline of political parties, prefer a more conventional (open or closed) primary that restricts voters to casting ballots for one party’s candidates.”

Second change from the blanket primary: In 1992, following a decision by the Alaska Supreme Court, the Alaska Republican Party moved to a closed primary. As a result, Alaska had two primary ballots: a closed Republican ballot that listed only Republican candidates and an open ballot that listed candidates of all other parties. From 1992 to 2020, Alaska primary voters used either the closed Republican ballot or the open ballot.

Return to the blanket primary: Following the 2020 ballot measure, Alaska returned to the blanket primary system in 2022. Since then, all candidates appear on a single primary ballot, which includes qualified candidates with party affiliation and without party affiliation. Voters choose one candidate using a single ballot. And when we vote on August 18th, we’ll each have the opportunity to cast our vote for one candidate regardless of their party affiliation or our party affiliation.

For more information on the timeline of Alaska's primary election systems, click here.

Enroll your child in the Anchorage School District

If your child is returning to school in the Anchorage School District, or if you're new to the district, head to the Enrollment webpage to learn about the enrollment and registration processes for the 2026-2027 school year.

School Start Days and Times

Mark your calendar for day one:

Free or reduced-price meals

ASD provides free and reduced-price meals for students that meet household size and income criteria. The Federal eligibility income chart for the school year can be found on the Student Nutrition webpage.

Parents must submit new applications for free or reduced-price meals each school year. If a child was approved last year, there is a 30-day period to re-certify for the upcoming school year.

• Families with new-to-district students and kindergartners should apply in August.
• Returning students should apply between August and October 1.

The new determination will take effect immediately after processing by Student Nutrition and within 10 days if that status becomes lower than the prior year’s application. Applications can take 10 days to process. Electronic applications typically are processed in 24 – 48 hours.

Applications are available at each school, ASD Education Center, Student Nutrition offices, online and via Q ParentConnection. Applications translated into Spanish, Samoan, Hmong, Korean, and Tagalog are available online. Applications may be verified at any time during the school year. Please submit only one application per family.

Transportation

To find your student's bus route, use the Q ParentConnection application.

When: Sunday, August 9th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Where: Kincaid Chalet - 9401 W. Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99502

Celebrate the rich culture and traditions of our Japanese friends and neighbors. The festival will have fun and exciting activities for the whole family, including authentic Japanese food, performances including Tomodachi Daiko, Bon Odori (Japanese Folk Dance) and Yosakoi Dance, Iaido Demonstration, Live Sumie Performance and Radio Taiso (ラジオ体操). This is a free event.

For more information, please click here.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,