Alaskan candidates running for governor in 2026 are presented below in alphabetical order. Click on a candidate’s name to see their answer to the highlighted question below. Several candidates chose not to participate.
Many Alaskans do not trust the state’s use of Dominion voting machines to count ballots in statewide elections. Some boroughs, such as the Mat-Su, have completely done away with machine tabulators in favor of hand-counting all ballots. How will you address voter concerns over Dominion voting machines?
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Candidate answers begin below…
TOM BEGICH [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
CLICK BISHOP [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
DAVE BRONSON [R]
Confidence in elections is foundational, and too many Alaskans question the current system. That lack of trust must be addressed directly.
As Lieutenant Governor, I will initiate a comprehensive review of our election process, including the feasibility of transitioning to hand-counted paper ballots. Our goal is a system that is transparent, verifiable, and easy for the public to understand.
We will strengthen the chain of custody procedures, increase oversight and transparency and work with the legislature to simplify and improve election laws. Complex systems that rely on proprietary technology create unnecessary doubt.
Elections should be straightforward and understandable to the average Alaskan. When people can clearly see and verify how votes are handled and counted, confidence improves.
We will focus on building a system that prioritizes transparency, security, and public trust.
MATT CLAMAN [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
ADAM CRUM [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
NANCY DAHLSTROM [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
EDNA DEVRIES [R]
As you have stated, we – the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and my mayor’s office – have removed all Dominion voting machines. Not only do we use paper ballots, but they are hand-counted at the precinct level so there are no errors when ballots are transported to election headquarters or discovered in the trunk of someone’s vehicle.
That action, plus moving our election to November in even-numbered years, has given the public confidence in their vote being counted. In selecting my Lt. Governor running mate, they will be fully on board with the removal of the Dominion machines around the state. No more purchase of the machines or programming of the existing machines in any state election.
In the Mat-Su Borough, we have seen voter participation increase, and no more horror stories on election day of having to enter and reenter your ballot.
MEDA DEWITT [NON/IND]
The candidate chose not to answer.
JESSICA FAIRCLOTH [NON/IND]
The candidate chose not to answer.
MATT HEILALA [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
SHELLEY HUGHES [R]
Voter trust requires transparency, and Dominion’s proprietary model is the opposite. Their software is closed-source, independently un-auditable, and the company retains control over its own system, meaning Alaskans must trust a private company’s word that their votes are counted accurately. Texas rejected Dominion three times for failing to meet security standards. CISA has identified known vulnerabilities in Dominion systems. That should concern every Alaskan. My Lieutenant Governor and I will evaluate transitioning Alaska to open-source tabulation systems, such as VotingWorks, a nonprofit that publishes every line of code on GitHub for independent verification. Mississippi and New Hampshire already use them. We also support expanding hand-count capacity, as Mat-Su and 130 rural precincts already do. Alaska’s modest electorate does not require black-box technology to count ballots. Alaskans deserve a system where results can be verified by anyone, not just the vendor who sold it.
JONATHAN KREISS-TOMKINS [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
HENRY F. “HANK” KROLL [R]
I don’t like the idea of voting machines with software made in China that can be hacked by Iran, Russia and Germany. According to the company, “All final hardware configuration of ES&S voting machines is performed exclusively in the USA. ES&S utilizes a global supply chain, and some components used in our voting machines are produced in countries outside the USA. All components are tested and certified at the federal and state levels.” I would ask the Legislature to ban the use of voting machines in Alaska. It would save time and money!!!
Georgia and Arizona require election workers to do hand counts at polling sites on Election Day. If Arizona, with a population of 7.6 million, can hand-count ballots, then Alaska, with a population of only 750,000, shouldn’t have a problem.
JAMES PARKIN [R]
I would solicit voter input on these issues and address them appropriately.
DESTRY PAYNE [AK PARTY]
Elections are the sacred right and duty of the people. The founders have stressed that elections are to be handled by the people in their local communities. Using paper ballots and same-day voting and counting, with reporting by or before the end of the day. Once hand counting is done in a community, the people of that community inform the Government of who won what office. Electronic devices must be banned from any use involving ballots and counting. People’s sacred rights cannot be violated! I believe if there is an issue with an election in a community, the people should exercise their right to form a jury to investigate and rule on the election and any further action necessary. This jury must be comprised of people from the community who have no affiliation with any election worker or candidate.
TREG TAYLOR [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
BRUCE WALDEN [R]
On day one, I will sign an executive order ending the use of Dominion voting machines in Alaska and we will go strictly to a hand count. Again, there will be those who’ll fight me, and we’ll take it to the Supreme Court. However, voter ID, yes. Hand count, yes. Election DAY, not election month, yes. No “mail-in ballots” or drop boxes. That ends on day one. I voted as an absentee voter my entire military career. That’s different. If the founders could vote up and down thirteen states, spanning over a thousand miles, and the ballots were delivered on horseback… and the result was known almost immediately. Pretty sure we can do that.
BERNADETTE WILSON [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
