Copper River Census Area Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026
9 candidates are on the November 3, 2026 ballot across 3 Copper River Census Area races, led by the Alaska Senate District O contest.
By address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Copper River Census Area is split across 2 Alaska House districts.
Find your districts by addressAlaska House: 2 districtsDistricts 29, 36
Alaska House District 29Jessica I. Kusner-Kalarchik · Steve Menard (R) · Gerald "Garret" Nelson (R) · Kimberly Slone (D)
Jessica I. Kusner-Kalarchik Nonpartisan
- Supports building the North Slope gasline to bring gas to Southcentral Alaska with firm timelines and honest cost accounting
- Wants a long-term state fiscal plan with a statutory dividend formula and an honest look at both spending cuts and revenue
- Prioritizes Mat-Su Valley road, water and sewer infrastructure and expanding broadband to underserved areas
Per the campaign site.
About Jessica I. Kusner-Kalarchik
Jessica Kusner-Kalarchik is a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska House District 29. She served 31 years in the U.S. Army, including deployments as a paratrooper, before recently retiring, and has a decade of experience as a registered nurse specializing in medical-surgical and operating-room care, according to her campaign site. She lives on rural property east of Palmer along the Glenn Highway.
Steve Menard Republican
- Protect the Permanent Fund Dividend and advocate for military veterans
- Support senior citizens and small businesses in District 29
Per the campaign site.
About Steve Menard
Menard is a U.S. Marine veteran from a family with a history of service in the Alaska Legislature, per the campaign site.
Gerald "Garret" Nelson Republican Incumbent
Gerald "Garret" Nelson is a Republican candidate for Alaska House District 29. He was appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to the seat after former Rep. George Rauscher was appointed to the Alaska Senate, and 2026 is his first election to the seat, according to Alaska Beacon. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026; the Division of Elections' candidate list is the only verifiable source for Gerald "Garret" Nelson.
Kimberly Slone Democratic
- Supports safe staffing levels in hospitals
- Wants to reduce Alaska's reliance on declining North Slope oil production to protect the state's fiscal stability
- Backs constitutionally protecting the Permanent Fund Dividend; she says she started a petition toward that end
Per the campaign site.
About Kimberly Slone
Kimberly Slone is a Democratic candidate for Alaska House District 29 and a registered nurse with 16 years of healthcare experience in Alaska, according to her campaign site. She is an affiliate member of the Alaska Nurses Association and trained as a Climate Reality Leader under former Vice President Al Gore in 2018. She lives in Wasilla.
Jessica I. Kusner-Kalarchik (Nonpartisan), Steve Menard (Republican), Gerald "Garret" Nelson (Republican), Kimberly Slone (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Alaska House District 29; Gerald "Garret" Nelson is the sitting member, per the Legislature's official member table (akleg.gov). Not on the November ballot: Rep. Rauscher, the sitting member for the district per the same table. The field advanced from the August 18, 2026 top-four open primary; the general election uses ranked-choice voting, and the party shown is each candidate's registration as printed by the Division of Elections.
Full race pageAlaska House District 36Crystal Jones · Rebecca A. Schwanke (R)
Crystal Jones Nonpartisan
- Supports voting for the full, statutory Permanent Fund Dividend and a constitutional fix
- Supports protecting subsistence access, including banning trawling and backing tribal co-management
- Supports bringing down rural energy costs
Per the campaign site.
About Crystal Jones
Crystal Jones is running for Alaska House District 36, per her campaign site. She and her family moved from Kodiak to Nelchina, an unorganized borough, after being priced out by rising property taxes, and she lives in a tiny house she is expanding by hand while heating with wood, per her campaign site. She says the experience has given her firsthand knowledge of the cost of rural living in Alaska, per her campaign site.
Rebecca A. Schwanke Republican Incumbent
- Supporting a balanced and sustainable state budget
- Supporting access to wild game and wild caught fish and reliable, affordable energy
- Supporting quality public education
Per the campaign site.
About Rebecca A. Schwanke
Rebecca Schwanke represents Alaska House District 36, per the Alaska Legislature. She holds degrees in natural resources and wildlife biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, formerly worked as a state wildlife biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and owns Talarik LLC, a wildlife and policy consulting business, per her official legislative biography.
Crystal Jones (Nonpartisan), Rebecca A. Schwanke (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Alaska House District 36; Rebecca A. Schwanke is the sitting member, per the Legislature's official member table (akleg.gov). The field advanced from the August 18, 2026 top-four open primary; the general election uses ranked-choice voting, and the party shown is each candidate's registration as printed by the Division of Elections.
Full race pageAlaska Senate District OPeter Bauer (D) · George Rauscher (R) · Ryan W. Sheldon (R)
Peter Bauer Democratic
- Improve affordability and economic opportunity for District O residents
- Pursue a less expensive, more diversified energy system and fully funded public education
- Expand access to affordable, quality health care for Alaskans
Per the campaign site.
About Peter Bauer
Bauer is a retired U.S. Air Force officer running for Alaska Senate District O, per the campaign site.
George Rauscher Republican Incumbent
- Preserve the Permanent Fund and Permanent Fund Dividend while supporting small businesses
- Support public safety measures and Alaska's dairy and farming industries
Per the campaign site.
About George Rauscher
Rauscher arrived in Alaska in the late 1970s and worked in the oil industry before training as a carpenter and starting a construction company in 1992, balancing seasonal construction work with winter oil field jobs, per the campaign site. Rauscher was elected to the Sutton Community Council in 2006 and later served as its president, and was elected to the Alaska House in 2017, chairing the House Energy Committee and serving as vice chair of Resources and as majority whip, per the campaign site.
Ryan W. Sheldon Republican
Ryan Sheldon is an entrepreneur with experience in residential remodeling, new construction and manufacturing across Alaska and currently works as a property developer, per his Alaska Division of Elections candidate statement. He serves on the Talkeetna Water/Sewer Board and has worked as chief of staff for the Alaska Legislature, per the same statement.
Peter Bauer (Democratic), George Rauscher (Republican), Ryan W. Sheldon (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Alaska Senate District O; George Rauscher is the sitting member, per the Legislature's official member table (akleg.gov). The field advanced from the August 18, 2026 top-four open primary; the general election uses ranked-choice voting, and the party shown is each candidate's registration as printed by the Division of Elections.
Full race pageSee your full ballot
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Who is on the ballot in Copper River Census Area, Alaska on November 3, 2026?
Copper River Census Area sample ballot 2026: see where the alaska house and alaska senate candidates stand on schools, jobs and the environment. Every candidate profile on this page names the official filing or campaign source it came from.
When is the 2026 general election in Alaska?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Alaska are listed on the Alaska election hub. Alaska election hub →
How do I see my exact Copper River Census Area ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup for the statewide and congressional races on every ballot in the county, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location. Look up your ballot →
Alaska statewide racesEvery Alaska race on this county's ballot.All Alaska ballot measures3 statewide ballot measuresAlaska judges21 tracked judges on the retention ballot