Cantwell, Alaska Public Records

This state office maintains voter registration records, processes absentee and early voting, certifies candidates, administers election security, and provides official results for all elections affecting residents here. Alaska residents, including those in Cantwell, can register to vote online through the Alaska Online Voter Registration system at https://voterregistration.alaska.gov, available around the clock for new registrations and updates to existing records. Voter registration requires providing name, date of birth, Alaska driver license or state ID number, and residential address. PO boxes cannot be used as residence address, though they work fine for mailing purposes. The registration deadline for any election is 30 days prior to election day. Alaska allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period, which runs 15 days before through the day before the election, and on election day at regional elections offices. Same-day registration isn't available at regular polling places. Voters must be U.S. Citizens, at least 18 years old on or before election day, Alaska residents for at least 30 days, and not registered to vote in another jurisdiction. Cantwell is an unincorporated community without municipal government, so there are no city council, mayoral, or local municipal elections. Residents participate in Denali Borough elections for the five-member Denali Borough Assembly and for Denali Borough School Board, with assembly members serving staggered three-year terms. Borough assembly elections are held on the first Tuesday in October in years when seats are up for election. Voters also elect representatives to the Alaska State Legislature from House District 7 and Senate District D, subject to redistricting adjustments. Cantwell voters cast ballots at the Cantwell Community Hall polling location, though Alaska allows voters to find their specific assigned polling place by entering their address on the Division of Elections website at https://myvoterinformation.alaska.gov. This system also shows sample ballots, early voting locations, and voter registration status. Early voting, called "absentee in-person voting" in Alaska, is available at regional elections offices beginning 15 days before any election. Election records that are public in Alaska include voter registration lists, available for purchase by qualified requesters for political purposes under AS 15.07.195. Campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission are searchable at https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/Campaign/. Candidate filing information and declarations of candidacy, official precinct-by-precinct election results, and ballot measure language and fiscal notes are all publicly accessible. Individual voter history, which shows which elections a person voted in but not how they voted, is considered public information. The Alaska Public Offices Commission, located at 2221 East Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 128, Anchorage, AK 99508, maintains searchable databases of campaign contributions and expenditures for state and borough candidates. In the November 2024 general election, Denali Borough reported approximately 68% voter turnout among registered voters, with 924 ballots cast out of approximately 1,360 registered voters borough-wide. Cantwell's Precinct 501 historically shows strong participation in presidential election years. Specific precinct-level data showed 87 ballots cast in the November 2024 election from the Cantwell precinct. The November 3, 2026 general election will be significant for Alaska and Cantwell voters. Alaska's U.S. Senate seat currently held by Dan Sullivan will not be up for election in 2026. The seat currently held by Lisa Murkowski is up in 2028. Voters will elect Alaska's single U.S. Representative to the House of Representatives. The Governor of Alaska and Lieutenant Governor, elected jointly, will be on the ballot in 2026, as Alaska gubernatorial elections occur every four years in midterm election years, previously 2022, next 2026. Alaska State Senate District D and Alaska State House District 7 representatives will be on the ballot, as all 40 House seats and half of the 20 Senate seats are elected every two years. Denali Borough Assembly seats may also appear on the October 2026 borough election ballot depending on the expiration schedule of current assembly members' terms. Alaska offers extensive absentee voting options. Any registered Alaska voter may request an absentee ballot without providing an excuse or reason. Absentee ballot applications can be submitted online at https://www.elections.alaska.gov/Core/absenteeapplication.php, by downloading and mailing a paper application, by fax, or by email. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 10 days before the election, though voters can request ballots in person at regional offices until the day before the election. Completed absentee ballots must be postmarked or dated by election day and received by the Division of Elections within 10 days after the election to be counted. Ballots from overseas voters have 15 days. Alaska also offers Special Needs Voting for voters with disabilities and a questioned ballot process for voters whose eligibility may be in question at the polls.