How to run in Alaska, 2028
What it takes to get on Alaska's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate or President, from the state's election office and laws.
U.S. House
- At least 25 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Living in the state when elected (the Constitution doesn't require living in the district)
| Where to file | Alaska Division of Elections (Office of the Lieutenant Governor): the Director's Office, 240 Main Street, Suite 400, Juneau (PO Box 110017, Juneau, AK 99811-0017), or any Division of Elections regional office. |
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| When | Declaration of candidacy due by 5:00 p.m. on June 1 of the general election year (AS 15.25.040), which is Thursday, June 1, 2028, for the primary held the third Tuesday in August (AS 15.25.020), August 15, 2028. The statute sets no opening date. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
| How | File a Declaration of Candidacy (federal packet form B05P-F), signed under oath before a notary, together with the filing fee. Delivery in person, by mail (must be received by the deadline), or by email/fax of the required statements by the deadline with the original received within 15 days. All candidates, whatever their party registration or none, file the same way and appear on a single nonpartisan top-four primary ballot; the four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election (AS 15.25.010, 15.25.100). The ballot shows the party registration on the candidate's voter record, or 'nonpartisan' or 'undeclared' at the candidate's choice. Federal candidates file campaign finance reports with the FEC, not the Alaska Public Offices Commission. |
| Fee | $100, nonrefundable (AS 15.25.050(a)). An indigent person may file a statement of indigency in place of the fee (AS 15.25.050(b)). |
| Petition instead | No petition route to the primary ballot. There is no separate independent/no-party petition process; unaffiliated candidates use the same declaration of candidacy in the top-four primary. Candidates not on the general election ballot may run as write-in candidates by filing a letter of intent no later than five days before the general election (AS 15.25.105). |
U.S. Senate
- At least 30 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
- Living in the state when elected
| Where to file | Alaska Division of Elections (Office of the Lieutenant Governor): the Director's Office, 240 Main Street, Suite 400, Juneau (PO Box 110017, Juneau, AK 99811-0017), or any Division of Elections regional office. |
|---|---|
| When | Declaration of candidacy due by 5:00 p.m. on June 1 of the general election year (AS 15.25.040), which is Thursday, June 1, 2028, for the primary held the third Tuesday in August (AS 15.25.020), August 15, 2028. The statute sets no opening date. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
| How | File a Declaration of Candidacy (federal packet form B05P-F), signed under oath before a notary, together with the filing fee. Delivery in person, by mail (must be received by the deadline), or by email/fax of the required statements by the deadline with the original received within 15 days. All candidates, whatever their party registration or none, file the same way and appear on a single nonpartisan top-four primary ballot; the four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election (AS 15.25.010, 15.25.100). The ballot shows the party registration on the candidate's voter record, or 'nonpartisan' or 'undeclared' at the candidate's choice. Federal candidates file campaign finance reports with the FEC, not the Alaska Public Offices Commission. |
| Fee | $100, nonrefundable (AS 15.25.050(a)). An indigent person may file a statement of indigency in place of the fee (AS 15.25.050(b)). |
| Petition instead | No petition route to the primary ballot. There is no separate independent/no-party petition process; unaffiliated candidates use the same declaration of candidacy in the top-four primary. Candidates not on the general election ballot may run as write-in candidates by filing a letter of intent no later than five days before the general election (AS 15.25.105). |
President
Getting on Alaska's presidential primary ballot
| How | Alaska does not conduct a state-run presidential primary, and state law provides no ballot access to the state primary ballot for President or Vice President. Recognized political parties choose their nominees under their own party rules (any party caucus or party-run preference vote is run by the party, not the state), and the party's national committee certifies its President and Vice-President nominees to the Division of Elections for the general election ballot. |
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| Where | No state filing. Parties certify nominees to the Alaska Division of Elections, Director's Office. |
| When | The Division's 2028 packet lists Friday, September 1, 2028 as the last day for parties to submit the certificate naming their President and Vice-President candidates and their electors (AS 15.30.020). The packet narrative also describes the deadline as the 64th day before the general election, which would be Monday, September 4, 2028 for November 7, 2028; confirm with the Division. (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | None (no state primary filing). |
| Petition | None (no state primary filing). |
Running as an independent in November
| How | File a petition with the Director of Elections signed by qualified Alaska voters equal to at least 1% of the number of voters who cast ballots for President at the last presidential general election, stating the signers want the named candidate on the ballot as an independent candidate for President. Each signer gives printed name, numerical identifier, signature, date and address; all booklets are filed together, with a signed statement of how many booklets/pages are included. After qualifying, the candidate must certify to the Director by September 1: the names of the electors (equal to Alaska's number of U.S. senators and representatives, 3), the Vice-President candidate chosen by the independent candidate, and the name, Alaska mailing address and signature of the candidate's state campaign chair, who must be an Alaska resident (AS 15.30.026). A limited political party (AS 15.30.025) is an alternative route with the same 1% petition and 90-day deadline. |
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| Where | Alaska Division of Elections, Director's Office (application and sample signature page are in the Division's Presidential Candidate Packet, form B05P). |
| When | Petition: not earlier than January 1, 2028 and not later than the 90th day before the general election (AS 15.30.026(a)), which computes to Wednesday, August 9, 2028 for November 7, 2028. Electors, VP and campaign chair: by September 1, 2028. The Division's 2028 packet lists August 16, 2028, a date based on an incorrect November 14, 2028 election day; the statutory rule controls, so confirm with the Division. (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | No petition filing fee stated. An optional fee applies to appear in the Official Election Pamphlet (AS 15.58.030). |
| Petition | At least 1% of the 2024 presidential ballots cast. The packet states 340,981 ballots were cast in 2024 and gives 3,409 signatures in its narrative, but its dates page says 3,614; confirm the exact figure with the Division. |
| Also | The Vice-President candidate and the elector slate are not required on the petition itself; they must be certified by September 1 of the election year (AS 15.30.026(b)). |
Campaign money
- Once you raise or spend more than $5,000, file a Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2) within 15 days.
- Your campaign committee then files a Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) within 10 days and reports to the FEC.
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