Alaska voters reject repeal of ranked choice voting

Alaska voters have rejected a ballot measure to repeal ranked choice voting and the state’s top-four primary system, keeping an election method that drew national attention during a closely watched U.S. Senate race. The Associated Press called the ballot measure’s defeat, NPR reported, and NBC News also projected that it had failed.

It is the second time Alaskans have voted against a repeal. Voters approved the system in 2020, and it first took effect in 2022. A 2024 repeal attempt failed by fewer than 800 votes, according to NBC News.

Under Alaska’s rules, candidates from all parties appear on one primary ballot, and the four with the most votes advance to the general election. Voters can then rank those candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the initial vote, the last-place candidate is eliminated and votes for that candidate are reassigned according to voters’ next choices. The process continues until someone wins a majority.

This year, the system faced scrutiny because two Senate candidates named Dan Sullivan appeared on the four-person general election ballot. One is the Republican incumbent; the other, Dan J. Sullivan, is an independent and retired teacher. NPR reported that the Senate race appeared likely to require a ranked choice tabulation.

Critics of Alaska’s system say it can confuse voters and be manipulated. Opponents pointed to allegations that the independent Sullivan had been recruited as a spoiler to draw votes away from the Republican incumbent. A week before Election Day, The New York Times reported that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign had been involved in recruiting him, according to NBC News. Peltola and her campaign denied urging him to enter the race or taking part in his campaign. NPR reported that the independent Sullivan has defended his candidacy.

The episode is under federal and state investigation, NBC News reported. The network also reported that a federal judge earlier this month dismissed a Trump administration effort to segregate ballots cast for Dan J. Sullivan.

Supporters of ranked choice voting say it gives voters more choices and encourages candidates to appeal beyond their parties’ most committed supporters. They also say allowing voters to rank multiple candidates can reduce the effect of a spoiler or confusion between candidates with the same name. Voters in the Senate race, for example, could rank both Sullivans without ranking Peltola, NPR reported.

“Alaskans of all political stripes have spoken: They want the freedom to vote for any candidate, regardless of party, in every taxpayer-funded election,” Nick Troiano, executive director of the electoral reform group Unite America, said in a statement before the Associated Press called the measure.

Alaska and Maine are the only states that use ranked choice voting for statewide elections, according to NBC News. Alaska’s top-four primary differs from nonpartisan primaries in California and Washington, where only the top two candidates advance, NPR reported.