State Review Board has certified the 2022 Special Primary Election

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - The State Review Board for the Alaska Division of Elections has completed their work and the Special Primary Election has been certified.

The top three candidates moving into the 2022 Special Primary Election on August 16 are Sarah Palin with 43,601 votes, Nick Begich with 30,861 votes, and Mary Peltola with 16,265 votes.

Fifth-place candidate, Tara Sweeney will not move up to take seat 4 that was vacated when Al Gross withdrew from the race on Tuesday, June 21.

A lawsuit was filed earlier this week to allow candidate Tara Sweeney to appear on the Special General Election ballot on August 16th.

The Director of the Alaska Division of Elections had said because independent Al Gross withdrew less than 64 days before the election, state law does not permit the division to put Sweeney, the fifth-place candidate, on the special election ballot in his place.

The suit sought to reverse that decision.

A state court judge ruled on Friday, June 24, Alaska elections officials do not need to put the fifth-place finisher in this month’s U.S. House Special Primary on the upcoming special election ballot.

Superior Court Judge William Morse issued an order Friday agreeing with the Division’s reading of the law. His decision can be appealed.

View the latest Division of Election results here. Updated June 24, 2022 at 5:17 p.m.

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