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Alaskans opt to stick with ranked choice voting
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- Alaskans voted to retain ranked choice voting, rejecting a measure that aimed to repeal the system, according to NBC News projections.
- Ranked choice voting in Alaska involves a single primary with candidates from all parties, where voters rank their preferences, and candidates are eliminated and redistributed until one achieves a majority.
- The system has faced criticism and controversy, notably in the recent Senate race where a candidate with the same name as GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan was recruited, prompting federal and state investigations.
- Supporters argue ranked choice voting empowers voters and reduces extreme partisanship, while opponents claim it causes confusion; a similar repeal effort lost by fewer than 800 votes in 2024.
- Alaska and Maine remain the only states using ranked choice voting for statewide elections, with the method first implemented in Alaska in 2022 following a 2020 ballot approval.
