Electoral College: Alaska electors will cast votes in Anchorage this year, rather than in Juneau

The three Alaska electors who will cast Electoral College votes for Alaska will be doing the formalities in Anchorage rather than Juneau this year.

The choice to move the event to Anchorage was made by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. Sources said she thought having the Electoral College vote in Anchorage would draw more media attention to the signing, which is usually a low-key event.

Attendance is by invitation only as space is limited. Electors are able to invite four guests. Invitations have gone out to certain people to attend the Dec. 17 event at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, on the second floor in the K’enakatnu 6 boardroom. The building is at 600 W. 7th Ave. in Anchorage.

Electors in each state meet on the same day — Dec. 17 — to select the president and vice president, reflecting the popular vote of their state. Each state has a specific number of electoral votes, with California having the most, at 54, a reflection of the population. Alaska shares the bottom spot with states like Vermont, South Dakota, North Dakota, District of Columbia, Wyoming, and Delaware — all with three electoral votes each.

Being an elector is considered an honor and the individuals are chosen by the political parties. In states where Kamala Harris won the majority, such as California, the electors will be from the Democratic Party. In states like Alaska, where Trump won, the electors will be from the Republican Party.

In 2020, the electors were John Binkley, Judy Eledge, and Randy Ruedrich.

Alaska’s electors for 2024 are Rick Whitbeck of Anchorage, Ron Johnson of Mat-Su, and Eileen Becker of Homer.

Overall, Trump won 312 electoral votes while Harris won 226. Trump needed 270 electoral votes to win.

Learn more about the Electoral College process at this link.