Alaska voters aren’t ditching ranked choice voting or top-four primaries after repeal effort fails

Repeal measure fails again

An Associated Press race call said the measure to repeal Alaska’s nonpartisan primary system and ranked choice voting had failed. Voters first approved the system in 2020, and a repeal effort also fell short in 2024.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, said Alaskans across political affiliations had backed the freedom to vote for any candidate in taxpayer-funded elections. He called for respecting voters’ decision and moving forward.

How Alaska’s system works

Alaska lets voters of all political affiliations choose among candidates on the same primary ballot. The four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. If no general-election candidate receives a majority, ranked choice voting determines the winner. California and Washington also have nonpartisan primaries, but advance only the top two vote-getters.

Senate race drew scrutiny

The election system faced intense nationwide attention because two candidates with the same name appeared on the four-person U.S. Senate general-election ballot. The race appeared likely to proceed to a ranked-choice tabulation.

Opponents said the system is confusing and open to manipulation. They focused on independent candidate Dan Sullivan, alleging he was recruited with Democratic backing to draw votes from the Republican incumbent, also named Dan Sullivan. Democrats denied recruiting him, and the independent candidate defended his run.

Supporters cite voter choice

Supporters argued that ranked choice voting could reduce the effects of confusion in the Senate race. Voters could rank both Dan Sullivans and leave Democrat Mary Peltola unranked.

Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal this year to adopt a top-two nonpartisan primary. In 2024, voters in several states also rejected ballot measures to establish systems similar to Alaska’s.