The state primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18, but Wrangell voters who want to cast their ballots early — whether they will be out of town on election day or just like the convenience of voting on their own schedule — can come to City Hall between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays Aug. 3 through Aug. 17

Just walk back to the assembly chambers and, if the state elections staff does not recognize you, present a driver’s license, voter ID card or other form of photo identification to get a ballot.

Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt, who has been working state elections in Wrangell since the 1980s, said she likely will recognize most people who come in to vote but a photo ID is a good idea for people new to town.

She reminded everyone who comes to City Hall during early voting that state law bans any electioneering — including hats, T-shirts and buttons — within 200 feet of the entrance to a polling place.

On election day Aug. 18, the polling booths will be set up at the Nolan Center from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Regardless whether a voter casts a ballot early, nothing will be counted and released until after the polls close.

Anyone who is voting by mail needs to have their ballot postmarked no later than Aug. 18; ballots mailed after the deadline will not be counted.

Voter turnout tends to be lower for primary elections than for the general election in November. In the 2024 primary, 314 Wrangell voters cast ballots on election day, with that number more than doubling to 677 voters in the November 2024 general election which attracted a lot of attention with the race for president on the ballot.

Wrangell voters also turned out in significantly higher numbers (685 ballots cast on election day) for the 2022 general election, which featured a conservative Republican challenger to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, than they did in the primary election that year. 

Murkowski won reelection in that close 2022 race, defeating her challenger by 2,015 votes out of 261,000 ballots cast in the November general election.