Alaskans approve largely meaningless noncitizen voting ballot measure

Voters are seen on the first day of early in-person voting in the midterm elections at a polling site in Juneau on Oct. 19, 2026. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

By James Brooks and Claire Stremple

Alaska Beacon

Partial election results Wednesday afternoon show Alaska voters overwhelmingly approving Ballot Measure 3, which would add a new state law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in Alaska.

A different Alaska law already prohibits noncitizen voting, as does federal law. When enacted, Ballot Measure 3 will not change existing practice, according to an analysis by the Alaska Department of Law.

The department said in October that “the bill proposed by (the ballot measure) would not change the qualifications to vote.”

With 399 of 400 precincts reporting results at 1:09 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, 69.6% of participating voters were in favor of Ballot Measure 3. 

Sponsors of the initiative, a trio of Republican former Alaska state legislators, thanked voters in a press release on Tuesday night after initial reporting from the Division of Elections showed strong support for the measure.

Former House Speaker Mike Chenault of Nikiski and former state senators John Coghill of Fairbanks and Josh Revak of Anchorage sponsored the initiative as the group Alaskans for Citizen Voting. They say current state law is unclear and should be updated to clarify that only U.S. citizens may vote.

“Alaskans have spoken clearly,” said Coghill, the measure’s primary sponsor, in the statement. “The passage of Ballot Measure 3 affirms the importance of citizenship as a fundamental qualification for voting in our elections. We are grateful to the thousands of Alaskans who signed petitions, volunteered their time, and helped bring this important question before the voters.”

• James Brooks Cascade is a longtime Alaska reporter who lives in Juneau. He previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. Claire Stremple began reporting in Alaska in 2018 as a public radio reporter in Haines. Since then, she has reported across the state on the health environment, education and justice beats. She was awarded the Alaska Press Club's Public Service Award in 2022 and recognized with an A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2024. Previously, she was the Managing Editor of the newsroom at KTOO Public Media. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.