Alaska referendum is 2nd takedown attempt against ranked-choice voting, which increased competition

Republican leaders are trying to kill ranked-choice voting for the second time in Alaska, a system that makes elections more competitive and gives opportunities to grassroots candidates in a state where independents are two-thirds of the electorate. 

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting faces its second challenge with Ballot Measure 2, which if passed would end one of the nation’s two statewide RCV systems; Maine is the other state. Repeal Now is sponsored by Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, who moved up to second in the aftermath of the RCV primary.

Outside interest – in the form of money – has shown up in Alaska, just as it did in other states ahead of this year’s midterm election on Nov. 3, especially where races for U.S. House or Senate are close. 

Billionaires and millionaires have donated to both sides of the RCV referendum fight, with Elon Musk, Dick Uihlein, Jeff Yass, Timothy Mellon, and Jeffrey Hildebrand supporting the referendum through the Aurora Action Network PAC. Donors opposing the referendum through the Unite America PAC Inc. include Charles Whelan, Jason Carol, Kent Thiry, and David Randolph Peeler.

This ballot measure aims to end final-four elections that start with wide-open primaries and end with the top four candidates – regardless of political affiliation – facing off in the general election. 

Voters rank candidates in order, though they can choose fewer. In the counting phase, ballots go through each round to determine which candidate has the least support, with that bottom candidate leaving the race. This continues until there are four candidates after the primary. Those candidates appear on the general-election ballot, using the same process.The eventual winner will get more than 50 percent of the vote, something that doesn’t necessarily happen in states without runoff races; unlike runoff states, RCV eliminates the need for costly second elections that usually have lower turnout.

Candidates in the final four make deals to strengthen the chance that their viewpoint wins, with some sacrificing their candidacies. Primary candidates who placed below the threshold move up after the higher-finishers drop out, with the merged candidacies banking on the new challengers being less of a threat in the general election. 

Alaska’s races for governor, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House show how races can change wildly after the primary:

Governor: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins received 22.5% of the vote; second was Democrat Tom Begich, who withdrew despite having 20.85%. Moving into second was Republican Bernadette Wilson, with 10.1%; third on the general election ballot is Republican Dave Bronson with 8.1%. The fourth went to Treg Taylor, but he was disqualified for incomplete financial disclosures. His lieutenant governor candidate, Candice English, moved up, and she chose Taylor’s wife, Jodi Taylor, as her running mate.

U.S. Senate: Placing first, with 49.5% of the vote is Democrat Mary Peltola; second is incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan with 41.4%. Sen. Sullivan tried to keep Republican challenger Dan J. Sullivan off the ballot as an unserious candidate who shared his name, but failed – the candidate referred to as Dan Sullivan of Petersburg got 2.5% of the vote and is third. Democrat David Leslie placed fourth with 1.11%, but dropped up, allowing Republican Gerald Heikes with 1.1% to move into fourth.

House: Republican incumbent Nick Begich III had 44.6%, independent Bill Heath, 32.5%; Democrat Matt Schultz placed third in votes, but had suspended his campaign; Democrat Eric Hafner got 3.8% of the vote and moved up, but is serving a 20-year sentence in prison and never lived in Alaska, so he’s unlikely to be able to serve. Moving up to the fourth spot is Libertarian Jim McDermott with 1.2% of the vote.

Republicans aiming to end RCV say that the 2024 ballot measure to repeal was razor-close - defeated by 50.1% or 737 votes; the opponents counter that despite being close, fewer Alaskans cast a vote in the 2024 referendum than the vote that created it in 2020. 

Repeal supporters call the voting method confusing, and that those voters who only choose one candidate don’t get their vote counted or ballots are trashed; this was countered in an Alaska Beacon article. 

Those opposing the ballot measure – who prefer RCV – argue that the system moderates outcomes because candidates need a broad coalition to hit 50%. In 2022, its first year in Alaska, Alaska got a split delegation to Congress when Republican Lisa Murkowski won the U.S. Senate seat and Democrat Mary Pentola won the U.S. House seat. 

Those hoping to keep the voting system appreciate that the wide-open primary diminishes the outsize power of political parties that occur in single-party primaries. 

This suits Alaskans, who have a strong independent streak: 63.4% registered as independent, while only 23.2% registered as Republicans and 11.7% as Democrats. Single-party primaries don’t make sense when they effectively exclude the viewpoints of 2 out of 3 Alaskans.

Alaska also ranks among the top states for voter choice in Voting Rights Foundation’s Barriers to the Ballot research, earning an A grade for candidate access. Candidates face a $100 "ballot tax", but the state’s straightforward filing process and lack of a petition requirement significantly reduce the hurdles to appearing on the ballot. The combination of simple candidate filing and no signature requirement gives more candidates a practical path to compete and gives Alaska voters more choices on Election Day.