By BECKY BOHRER
The Associated Press
JUNEAU (AP) — State election officials today announced plans for a June 11 special primary and an Aug. 16 special election to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant with last week’s death of Rep. Don Young.
The winner would serve the remainder of Young’s term, which ends in January.
Officials are planning for the special primary to be conducted by mail given the short timeline to hold the election, said Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, who oversees elections in Alaska. The special election, meanwhile, is expected to coincide with the regular primary.
The elections to fill the House vacancy will be first in Alaska under a new elections process approved by voters in 2020. That means an open primary in which the top four vote-getters advance to the special election in which ranked choice voting will be used.
Meyer said having the special election at the same time as the regular primary would allow for the primary races and special election question to be on the same ballot. He said it could be a bit confusing since the special election would use ranked voting and the primary races would not.
Young had held Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat since 1973. He died on Friday.
