(a) The election board shall count ballots according to the following rules:

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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 15.15.360

  • ballot: means any document provided by the director on which votes may be cast for candidates, propositions, or questions. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • director: means the director of elections who is the chief elections officer of the state appointed in accordance with Alaska Stat. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • election board: means the board appointed in accordance with Alaska Stat. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • general election: means the election held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • lieutenant governor: includes an appointed lieutenant governor, governor, or acting governor if a vacancy has occurred in the office of lieutenant governor or governor. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • proposition: means an initiative, referendum, or constitutional amendment submitted at an election to the public for vote. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • question: means an issue placed on the ballot to determine whether a judge or justice shall be accepted or rejected, whether a constitutional convention shall be called, whether a state debt shall be contracted, or whether a state official shall be recalled. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • voter: means a person who presents oneself for the purpose of voting either in person or by absentee ballot. See Alaska Statutes 15.80.010
  • writing: includes printing. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
(1) A voter may mark a ballot only by filling in, making “X” marks, diagonal, horizontal, or vertical marks, solid marks, stars, circles, asterisks, checks, or plus signs that are clearly spaced in the oval opposite the name of the candidate, proposition, or question that the voter desires to designate. In a general election, a voter may mark a ballot that requires the voter to vote for candidates in order of ranked preference by the use of numerals that are clearly spaced in one of the ovals opposite the name of the candidate that the voter desires to designate.
(2) A failure to properly mark a ballot as to one or more candidates does not itself invalidate the entire ballot.
(3) If a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to the office, the votes for candidates for that office may not be counted.
(4) The mark specified in (1) of this subsection shall be counted only if it is substantially inside the oval provided, or touching the oval so as to indicate clearly that the voter intended the particular oval to be designated.
(5) Improper marks on the ballot may not be counted and do not invalidate marks for candidates properly made.
(6) An erasure or correction invalidates only that section of the ballot in which it appears.
(7) A vote marked for the candidate for President or Vice-President of the United States is considered and counted as a vote for the election of the presidential electors.
(9)[Repealed, Sec. 3 ch 10 SLA 2011.]
(10)[Repealed, Sec. 3 ch 10 SLA 2011.]
(11)[Repealed, Sec. 3 ch 10 SLA 2011.]
(12)[Repealed, Sec. 3 ch 10 SLA 2011.]
(b) The rules set out in this section are mandatory and there are no exceptions to them. A ballot may not be counted unless marked in compliance with these rules.
(c)[Repealed, Sec. 24 ch 113 SLA 2003.]
(d) Write-in votes shall be counted according to the following rules:

(1) writing in the name of a candidate whose name is printed on the ballot does not invalidate a write-in vote unless the director determines, on the basis of other evidence, that the ballot was so marked for the purpose of identifying the ballot;
(2) in order to vote for a write-in candidate, the voter must write in the candidate’s name in the space provided and fill in the oval opposite the candidate’s name in accordance with (a)(1) of this section;
(3) a vote for a write-in candidate, other than a write-in vote for governor and lieutenant governor, shall be counted if the oval is filled in for that candidate and if the name of the candidate, as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the last name of the candidate is written in the space provided;
(4) if the write-in vote is for governor and lieutenant governor, the vote shall be counted if the oval is filled in and the names of the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, as they appear on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the last names of the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, or the name of the candidate for governor, as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the last name of the candidate for governor is written in the space provided;
(5) in counting votes for a write-in candidate, the director shall disregard any abbreviation, misspelling, or other minor variation in the form of the name of a candidate if the intention of the voter can be ascertained.
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