Press Release

Superior Court Upholds Division of Elections' Handling of Internal Absentee Ballot Reports

November 11, 2026

(Anchorage, AK) – Today the Alaska Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of the Division of Elections in Alaskans for Mary v. Dahlstrom et al., holding that the internal records sought by the plaintiffs were not public records subject to disclosure under Alaska's Public Records Act and that the Division was not required to create a new more public report for the campaign.

The Department of Law is pleased with the Superior Court’s decision affirming that the records sought by the campaign were not public records under Alaska law. The court recognized that the absentee ballot detail reports provided to observers are temporary working documents used during election administration and are not subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act. The court further found that the Division was not required to create a new report for the campaign in the middle of counting ballots. The Court said it best: “The Division is actively in the middle of counting ballots. It has active deadlines it must meet. […] The timing of the Campaign’s request could simply not be worse.” The Division remains committed to its mission of ensuring Alaska’s elections are administered fairly, accurately, and in accordance with the law. 

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.