You may return an Alaska absentee ballot by fax if you requested it by fax or online delivery. Being overseas does not, by itself, make a ballot requested by mail eligible for fax return.
- Check that you requested your ballot by fax or online delivery.
- Complete the Voter Certificate and Identification sheet with a witness aged 18 or older.
- Use the ballot-return fax number supplied with your packet.
- Meet the November 3, 2026, 8 p.m. Alaska time receipt deadline.
- Save the transmission result and check official ballot status.
Official guidance checked October 20, 2026.
For the November 3, 2026, general election, your faxed ballot must be received by 8 p.m. Alaska time on November 3. Prepare the official certificate with your witness before sending. See the FVAP Alaska guide.
1. Check how you requested your Alaska ballot
Alaska offers no-excuse absentee voting, so its electronic-delivery options are broader than an overseas-only program. For returning a completed state absentee ballot by fax, however, FVAP specifies that you must have requested the ballot by fax or online delivery.
If you requested a mailed ballot, contact the Division of Elections about changing delivery methods before attempting a fax return.
The official absentee application distinguishes requesting a ballot from registering to vote. For the 2026 general election, an application requesting electronic delivery must arrive by 5 p.m. Alaska time on November 2. That deadline does not reopen voter registration.
Military and overseas voters can request electronic delivery earlier in the year; other civilian voters have a shorter request window. Use the application appropriate to your status. For other states, start with our guide to faxing an absentee ballot from abroad.
2. Prepare the certificate with your witness
Online delivery lets you retrieve and prepare your materials; marking a ballot online does not submit it. Print the documents required for return.
Under Alaska's absentee instructions, sign your Voter Certificate and Identification sheet in front of a witness aged 18 or older. The witness must also sign, and you must provide at least one required identifier.
Use the certificate in your own packet. Review every required field, signature and ballot page before scanning. Include any cover sheet or additional document specified by your instructions; a generic fax cover cannot replace an official certificate.
Fax return means voluntarily giving up ballot secrecy and accepting the risk of transmission problems. Read the packet's instructions before choosing that method.
For the final transmission copy, check that signatures, completed fields and ballot marks remain visible. Follow the official signing instructions; a visible typed name is not evidence that you have met them. Fax.Plus explains how to prevent missing information in fillable PDFs.
3. Use the ballot-return number in your packet
Alaska directs voters to the fax number supplied with their voting materials. Check your current packet rather than copying a number used to submit an application.
If the number is missing, illegible or inconsistent with another official source, contact the office handling your ballot. Use the Division of Elections contact directory to reach the Absentee and Petition Office or your regional office. Ask specifically for the number for returning your completed ballot.
The deadline concerns receipt of the fax. Starting the send before 8 p.m. does not guarantee timely arrival. Allow time for busy lines and follow-up. The mail postmark rules do not extend the fax deadline.
4. Send your prepared packet with Fax.Plus
Once you have confirmed the permitted return method, complete packet and recipient number, Fax.Plus offers web and mobile sending without a subscription.
The Free plan includes a one-time allowance of 10 sending pages after mobile-number verification. It does not renew monthly. The verification requirements matter abroad: your IP country must match your phone number's country code to receive the code. An email-verified account can purchase sending credit without completing mobile verification. Check the free-page requirements.
If you need credit, the minimum manual top-up is $10, without a subscription, and unused credit does not expire. That purchase is not a fixed price for your ballot packet. Destination and connection duration affect usage, and connected unsuccessful attempts can consume credit. Review the pay-as-you-go terms and destination rate.
Free has a combined limit of 30 pages and 30 MB per fax. Count all required documents. Do not divide an official packet into separate faxes without the election office's instructions.
- Sign in to Fax.Plus and open Send Fax.
- Enter the verified ballot-return number with +1 and the area code.
- Attach the completed packet in the required order.
- Review the number, page order and attachments, then select Send.
- Wait for the final result and save the confirmation report from Sent.
For device-specific help, see how to fax online.
5. Check ballot status after the transmission
Use Alaska's My Voter Portal to check your ballot status. The state's overseas voter guidance also points voters there for registration, application and ballot information.
A fax confirmation report records the transmission result. It does not establish that election officials accepted or counted your ballot.
If the fax fails, pages are incomplete or the office cannot locate the packet, keep the report and contact the Division while time remains. Ask what to do before sending another copy.
When your official packet and return instructions are ready, create a Fax.Plus account or sign in to send.
FAQs
Do I need my own fax number to receive an Alaska ballot?
If you choose fax delivery, the application asks for a receiving fax number. Online delivery instead uses your email address to notify you that materials are available. Receiving by online delivery avoids needing an incoming fax service for that step; it does not submit your completed vote.
What if I live permanently abroad and do not intend to return to Alaska?
Do not assume the ordinary state-and-federal absentee application fits your situation. The Division provides a separate federal ballot application for qualifying U.S. citizens permanently overseas who do not intend to return. Check your eligibility and available ballot with the office using the official permanent-overseas guidance.
What if my requested Alaska ballot has not arrived?
Contact the Division about your request. Eligible voters may use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot as a backup. Alaska's FWAB fax instructions require the signed Voter Information page, Official Backup Ballot and Transmission Cover Sheet with its signed secrecy waiver, plus the required witness signature. The fax/online-request condition still applies. Follow the Alaska-specific FVAP instructions.
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