Anchorage's mayoral runoff election ends Tuesday. Here's how to return your ballot.

May 10—Tuesday is the final day to cast ballots in Anchorage's 2024 mayoral runoff election. Voters will choose between incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson and challenger Suzanne LaFrance, the Assembly's former chair, to lead the city for the next three years.

As of Thursday evening, more than 35,500 ballots had already arrived at the election center. Election staff won't tabulate results until after voting closes Tuesday evening.

The first round of preliminary election results will be published on the municipal clerk's website by about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. However, it may take several days before the election results firm up, as ballots returned by mail will continue to arrive at the election center past Tuesday. Election staff will regularly update the preliminary results as more ballots are counted.

Ballots were mailed to voters last week, and in-person voting and secure ballot drop boxes will close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. For those who haven't already cast ballots, there are several ways to return them and ensure your vote is counted.

[Anchorage mayoral runoff election: Q&As with Dave Bronson and Suzanne LaFrance]

Returning by mail: If you're planning to return your ballot via the U.S. Postal Service, your ballot package must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 14 to be counted. Anyone mailing a ballot Monday or Tuesday should ask a postal worker to "hand cancel," or hand stamp, their ballot package with a postmark, according to the municipal clerk.

Returning by drop box: Voters can return their ballot packages to one of the city's 18 secure drop boxes. To find the nearest secure drop box location, check the city's map, which can be found online at muni.org/elections/dropbox. The drop boxes are open 24 hours a day until Tuesday, when they will close at 8 p.m.

Cast a ballot at a vote center: Residents can cast ballots in-person at the city's three vote centers. Voters who've had their mailed ballot damaged, lost, stolen or who did not receive a ballot in the mail can still cast a ballot at a vote center. The centers also offer new voting machines to accommodate residents with vision and mobility impairments. Residents must bring a valid form of identification to vote at a center.

Locations are at City Hall in downtown, the Loussac Library in Midtown, and in Eagle River at the Eagle River Town Center. Only District 2, Eagle River/Chugiak/JBER ballots are available at the Eagle River vote center.

The centers are open on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.; on Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Vote by fax or email: According to the municipal clerk, registered voters who are unable to use the mail or drop boxes or who are unable to vote in-person can vote by fax or email. To vote by fax or email, residents should apply with the city election center as soon as possible and no later than 5 p.m. Monday. To request an application, call the city's voter hotline at 907-243-VOTE (8683).

Special needs ballot: It's also possible to vote via a special needs ballot for residents who are elderly, have a disability, are hospitalized, are sick, or have a positive COVID test. In the case of a special needs ballot, an election official delivers the ballot to the voter, who then votes in privacy, and the official returns the ballot to the city's election center. Call the voter hotline at 907-243-VOTE (8683) to request a special needs ballot.

Make sure your ballot is counted

To properly cast your ballot, vote by filling in the bubble next to the candidate of your choosing using only a blue or black ink pen. Fold and place your ballot into the security sleeve included with the ballot package and seal your ballot into your ballot envelope.

Do not return multiple ballots in one envelope. Each voter must return their ballot in the envelope that was sent to each voter.

Also, be sure to sign your ballot envelope, or your vote will not be counted unless you later "cure" the missing signature problem.

Signature verification is an important step in the election security process that protects against voter fraud. Two election officials who've been trained by forensic document examiners verify the signature on every ballot envelope.

If the signature on your ballot envelope is missing or if it doesn't match your other signatures on file with the state's Division of Elections, you'll get a notification from the municipal clerk with directions on how to fix the problem and get your ballot counted.

This year, voters can use the city's new system, "TXT2Cure," to quickly cure the issue using a smartphone.

Any voter interested in tracking the status of their ballot, including when it has been counted, can sign up to get automatic alerts at anchorage.ballottrax.net/voter.

The May 14 runoff election results won't be official until they are certified by the Anchorage Assembly. Certification is scheduled for May 31, according to the city's election calendar.

Whoever is elected will officially begin the three-year term as mayor on July 1.