Sullivan, Peltola race in Alaska remains undecided as officials count remote ballots

Alaska voters are waiting for final results in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola. Election officials are still counting ballots from across the state, leaving the outcome of the contest undecided as of Wednesday.

The delay is driven by the state’s vast geography and unique voting rules. Approximately 600,000 registered voters are spread out, with many remote communities accessible only by plane or boat. This logistics challenge extends the timeline for collecting and counting votes.

Mary Peltola addressed supporters on Tuesday night after Democrats secured a majority in the U.S. Senate. She noted that the final count in Alaska would require patience due to the state's size and voting population.

"It’s going to take a long time to make sure we’re counting every vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young people going to colleges," Peltola said.

State rules allow 15 days for overseas voters to submit ballots, with Nov. 18 targeted for tabulation under the ranked-choice voting system. Domestic absentee ballots have a 10-day window to arrive, a critical period for rural areas that rely on air service for mail delivery.

Alaska uses a ranked-choice system where voters rank candidates by preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their ballots are redistributed to the next preferred candidate. This process repeats until one candidate reaches a majority.

Past elections show this delay is common. In the 2008 and 2010 U.S. Senate races, it took roughly two weeks to determine a winner. A ballot measure to repeal Alaska’s current election system also remains undecided, with both Senate campaigns urging voters to wait for the final numbers.