| Wire Service | Peninsula Clarion |
Alaskans in 2020 approved a citizens initiative to adopt what is called ranked-choice voting and used it for the first time in 2022. It eliminated party primary elections and moved the state to a one-size-fits-all primary where the top four vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
The opponents gathered enough petition signatures and asked voters in 2024 to repeal open primaries and ranked-choice voting — but lost. They are at it again, having collected enough signatures to put the question on the 2026 statewide ballot. It will be third time Alaskans will vote on the issue. Let’s hope it’s a case of three strikes and you’re out, not the third time is the charm.
”What is working well for most people
Alaskans should reject the initiative and stick with what is working well for most people. Afterall, nearly 60% of registered voters in Alaska are nonpartisan or undeclared as to a political party. An open primary serves that 60% a lot better than closed primaries where party loyalists decide who makes it to the November ballot.
Elections have gotten so partisan and divisive and polarizing that the last thing Alaskans need is to turn back the clock and chuck open primaries and ranked-choice voting into the trash.
