With Election Day coming up on Nov. 5, here’s your guide for all things related to casting your vote in Alaska. To see guides for other states, click here.

Do I need to register to vote?

Yes, you’ll need to register to vote in Alaska. You can check your registration status on the Division of Elections’ website. 

How do I do that?

You can register to vote online, by mail, email or fax or in-person at Division of Election offices, DMV offices, political party offices and certain other government offices. You can find more details and the necessary forms here. 

What’s the deadline?

The deadline to register to vote in the 2024 general elections in Alaska is Sunday, Oct. 6. 

Where do I find out where my polling site is?

You can find your polling precinct here on the Division of Elections’ website. 

Can I vote by mail?

Alaska is a “No Excuse voting state.” You can apply to vote by mail, by fax or receive a ballot online.  

What’s the latest date I can turn in my ballot?

The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Oct. 26 and you need to submit or postmark your voted ballot by Election Day. When applying online or by fax, your application must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 4 and your printed ballot must be postmarked or returned by fax by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can find more detailed instructions here. 

Is there a way I can track my ballot?

You can check your registration, application and ballot status here. 

What if I need help getting to the polling site?

Alaska’s voting system is designed to facilitate democracy in its many remote and difficult to access communities. If you can’t make it to an in-person voting location, you can take advantage of the several options to vote by mail or telecom.

Where do I find election results?

USA TODAY will have presidential, congressional and statewide race results updating live here.

Illustrations by Veronica Bravo, USA TODAY

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – There’s been zero indication of having to replace potential lead water pipes throughout Alaska’s roughly 600 public water systems as the state works to inventory its infrastructure, according to recent reports submitted this week.

Water service lines connect underground water mains to buildings to supply water, as well as in some cases fire protection systems, and is the property of the water utility.

The inventory reports are submitted to Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation Drinking Water Program, and while reviews for completeness and regulation compliance are still underway, the overall findings appear to be consistent with inventory reports dating back all the way to 1993.

Cindy Christian is the program manager for the drinking water program in Alaska. She said reports have been submitted for 550 of the approximate 610 water systems required to do a lead service line inventory. That’s a 90% rate compared to the 30% rate she said most other states are currently sitting at.

“Our public water systems did a really great job in getting this information to us,” Christian said. “We’re very lucky we don’t have lead service lines that we found in the state … people are not exposed to the high levels of lead that can be present when you have a lead service line, so that’s good.”

Unlike most older cities throughout the country, Alaska’s infrastructure is still fairly new. Compared to regions on the East Coast or in the Midwest that have relied on lead pipe service lines for centuries, Alaska has turned to more modern alternatives such as copper or even plastic piping alternatives that offer a lower lead leaching potential.

The reports follow on the heels of a recent announcement this month from President Joe Biden who set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace lead pipes.

In May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $28,650,000 from Biden’s Investing in America agenda to assist Alaska in conducting those lead service line inventory reports, however, as Christian explained, only roughly $5 million of that was utilized by the state.

“We didn‘t accept all of the money because we knew there wasn’t a lead service line problem here in the state,” Christian said.

She said the money the state did not accept was returned to the EPA.

“It’s reallocated to states that do, in fact, have a large number of lead service lines,” she said.

As for how that $5 million is spent, Christian said there are a number of ways in which service line inventories can be conducted.

While most reports consist of DEC record searches into engineering plans for when systems were installed, sometimes there are lines that were installed prior to records being kept, which then calls for systems to be dug up for a line inspection.

She said the service lines in Alaska’s ground were installed throughout the entire history of the state.

“We have some older systems like down in Southeast and maybe in parts of Anchorage, and some of the old military bases that were installed back in the early parts of the 20th century … There’s a lot of development in certain areas like in the Mat-Su where we have public water systems that are actually being installed right now,” Christian said.

To learn more about potential lead exposure or request lead testing kits, visit the Alaska Department of Health’s Lead Surveillance Program (alaska.gov).

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.

This is the time of year when indoor houseplants come back into clear focus. Where have they been? We spent our entire summer paying attention to things outdoors. Without question, most houseplants in Alaska suffer as a result.

Given that we do have such a unique fixation with our summer flowers and vegetables, it comes as a surprise to many Alaskans that the No. 1 plant category in the U.S. now happens to be houseplants. Something about the pandemic is the probable cause. People fell in love with their plants and started to buy more.

The internet also has something to do with the heightened interest in houseplants. It is not always easy to get plants shipped up here throughout the year, but fortunately local nurseries and box stores bring them in when you cannot rely on mail, and as long as the car is heated, they can be easily transported home.

Of course, many of us in Alaska have some very special houseplants that we simply cannot let die. These were brought up the Alaska Highway when we moved here. A snippet from, say, Grandma’s Christmas cactus became instant family when settling so far away from home. Today, that Christmas cactus has extremely high sentimental value (not to mention size). So start paying attention.

First of all, your house’s heating system has kicked in for the winter. Make sure all your plants are appropriately situated away from heat sources (as well as drafts). This is when I start getting questions about spider mites. Look for tiny mites and webs at intersections of stem and leaves and underneath leaves as well as sap under plants.

Thrips are another complaint. These tiny, annoying flies lay eggs in soil. Keep the soil surface dry or put paper over soil so females won’t lay eggs.

Humidity is sometimes of concern. My vote is to keep plants that don’t care (like mother-in-law tongues, spider plants, philodendrons — the big ones) for around the house. If you want a collection of something, say African violets or gloxinia, set up a room or a location where you can add humidity, maybe even enough to fog the windows occasionally! A humidifier works, obviously.

Of course you should clean up your plants. Get rid of dead leaves and those that are half dead as they are not coming back. Shape the plant if it needs it.

Less obvious is whether to repot a plant. If it has outgrown its container, go for it. If not, water regularly and see how it does. If it looks healthy, leave it alone.

A little bit of store-bought compost or even homemade compost on the soil surface is a good idea. The compost should be enough, but you can add diluted commercial ferts, preferably organic if you see new growth.

One reason why you might see new growth is because you finally took my strongest advice and set up a system to provide extra light to your plants. Whether you grow a collection of plants under it or simply move plants around to give each a turn at some “sun” this winter, set things up now. You will enjoy the results for nine months, not three, and you will be able to start seeds under it, both this winter as well as next spring.

In the early days of this column, I suggested a double or quadruple, fluorescent, shop light fixture. Today I urge you to just hop on the internet and search “Indoor plant lights.” You will find something to suit your needs be it the above suggestion, T-5 bulbs or one of myriad other options. You can and should buy locally, however, if possible. We gotta stick together.

Jeff’s Alaska Garden calendar:

Alaska Botanical Garden: Have you joined? There is as much going on there in the winter as there is in the summer.

Faucets: Did you disconnect hoses and timers and turn off the outdoor water? Had troubles in the past? Get and use a foam faucet cover.

Driveways and walks: Mark them so you know where the snow should be piled.