January 9, 2026
(Anchorage, AK) – Today, the State of Alaska filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking clarity on election day rules in its case Watson v. Republican National Committee, No. 24-1260.
In 2024, the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Mississippi challenged Mississippi’s law that allowed absentee ballots received shortly after election day to count so long as they were postmarked by election day. The Supreme Court soon will decide whether Mississippi’s law is permissible under federal law.
The brief, filed by Alaska’s Solicitor General, is in support of neither party. Rather, it brings to the Court’s attention the logistical challenges of both casting and receiving ballots on the same day in a state as large and widespread as Alaska. The brief explains how over 80 percent of Alaskan communities are off the road system, and extreme weather makes access to those communities by boat or plane unreliable. It also provides specific examples of how determining when a ballot was “received” by the Division of Elections is not always clearly defined.
“Alaska’s geography and climate make election administration uniquely complex,” said Alaska Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom. “Because most of our communities are off the road system and subject to extreme weather, rules designed for densely populated States don’t always work for us. By filing this brief, we’re asking the Court to provide clear guidance that protects election integrity while recognizing Alaska’s logistical challenges, so every eligible voter can make their voice heard.”
“The Supreme Court has a vital task ahead of them in determining what the law is regarding election deadlines,” said Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox. “Whatever the outcome of this case, Alaska will comply and continue to require its citizens’ ballots to be cast by election day and counted in a timely fashion. But as the Supreme Court has noted before, ‘Alaska is different.’ We want to ensure that the Court has all the facts regarding Alaska’s unique population distributed across a remote and rugged landscape. That way it can consider how a rule that seems straightforward in some States might raise more questions in others. All we want is clarity in the rules.”
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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.
