Breaking: Election Day is here! Make your selections: Anchorage votes on Senate, governor and House

Polls are open across Anchorage and Alaska from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for a midterm election that will decide who controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term. Alaska is divided between the Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian time zones, so closing times vary by community, but every voter who is in line when polls close is entitled to vote, according to Ballotpedia and USA.gov.

Anchorage voters can find their polling place at vote.gov or through the state election office. Identification rules vary by state, so check Alaska's requirements before heading out. The ballot in Anchorage includes the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Dan S. Sullivan, who is running again, an open race for governor with no incumbent on the ballot, and Alaska's U.S. House seat, along with state and local offices and measures that vary by county.

The parties on the ballot for Senate in Alaska are Democratic, Libertarian, No Party Affiliation, Republican and Undeclared, while the governor's race lists Democratic, Nonpartisan and Republican candidates, according to Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia rates Alaska's Senate race as a battleground, with race ratings ranging from toss-up to lean Democratic as of October 27, even though Trump carried Alaska by 13.1 points in 2024.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit related to certification of Alaska's Senate result, part of a broader pattern of false claims about voting fraud that Trump has continued to make, including that noncitizens vote in large numbers, according to the Associated Press. His administration sued in Alaska and California, and Democrats fear interference and intimidation as the Justice Department threatens to prosecute local election officials.

On Monday, a federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out a plan it says would prevent noncitizen voting, a plan critics say risks disenfranchising eligible voters and infringes on states' authority over elections, according to Reuters. A judge also ordered the administration to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on its lists of suspected noncitizens. The U.S. Postal Service added hours, staff and special lines so mail ballots are counted on time.

Across the country, all 435 U.S. House seats are on the ballot. Republicans hold 218 seats, Democrats hold 214 and one is held by an independent, with vacancies. Democrats need a net gain of three districts for a majority, while Republicans can lose no more than two, according to Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia counts 46 battleground districts, 25 held by Democrats and 21 held by Republicans, and 60 House incumbents, 23 Democrats and 37 Republicans, did not run again.

In the U.S. Senate, 35 of 100 seats are up, including 33 regular elections and two special elections for the rest of the terms Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio were elected to in 2022. Republicans hold 53 seats, Democrats hold 45 and two independents caucus with Democrats. Democrats need a net gain of four seats for a majority, while Republicans can lose only two. Winners begin six-year terms on January 3, 2027.

Voters are casting ballots in a sour national mood, according to the Associated Press. AP-NORC polling finds 35 percent of U.S. adults approve of Trump's job performance, 25 percent approve of his handling of the economy, and about 7 in 10 say the country is heading in the wrong direction. The AP describes the election as a referendum on Trump's second term, with voters struggling with high prices and angry over an unpopular war with Iran.

More than 57 million people had already voted as of Monday, surpassing the early vote of four years ago in many closely watched states, according to the Associated Press. Republicans were bracing to lose the House and fighting to hold the Senate, with one or two seats able to tip either chamber, while Democrats were cautiously optimistic.

Trump held dozens of rallies, ending Sunday in Salina, Kansas, where he told supporters, "I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot." Many Republican candidates kept their distance from him on the trail. Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said, "Everything depends on turnout. If we turn out our voters, we win, and that's what we've been planning for." Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said, "The American people are angry. They want change."

The 2026 elections will likely be the most expensive in history, according to the Associated Press. Republican committees outraised and outspent Democratic committees, helped by Trump-affiliated groups and Elon Musk, while at the candidate level Democrats outraised their opponents. An AP analysis of AdImpact data found 88.1 percent of Republican general election TV ad spending went to states and districts Trump won in 2024, including more than $850 million where he won by 10 points or more.

Beyond Congress, 36 governorships are on the ballot, with Republicans holding 26 governor's offices and Democrats 24 heading in. Of the offices on the ballot, each party holds 18. Nineteen races have no incumbent on the ballot, and Democrats would need a net gain of two governorships for a nationwide majority, which Republicans have held since 2010. Ballotpedia lists Alaska among nine governor battlegrounds, along with Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin.

If Democrats win even one chamber of Congress, investigations and possible impeachment proceedings become likely, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries would be the first Black speaker, with a 100-day agenda on the cost of living and oversight, according to the Associated Press. Wall Street is watching for more than control of Congress, Reuters reports, as results could add to investor concerns about AI spending and debt ceiling negotiations.

For Anchorage voters heading out today, remember that polls close at 8 p.m. local time, and anyone in line at closing time can still vote. Check vote.gov for your polling place and Alaska's identification rules, and review the state and local measures on your ballot before you go.