Alaska Congressman Nick Begich knows all about ranked-choice voting. He’s been through the process twice — once in 2022 and again in 2024. He’s had to explain it countless times to thousands voters both in Alaska and Outside.
On Monday, Begich filed a bill to outlaw ranked-choice voting in federal elections. Cosponsoring the bill is Congresswoman Abraham Hamadeh of Arizona, a Republican.
The Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act is intended to protect the integrity of America’s elections by amending the Help America Vote Act, and reversing the growing voter confusion and disenfranchisement with emergent RCV systems, which vary from state to state and county to county where they are being used.
“The nation does not need more uncertainty and confusion injected into the federal election process,” said Congressman Begich. “One person, one vote’ is a proven, tried and true method that is easy to understand, easy to audit, and quick to report. Experiments with our national election systems risk disenfranchisement of voters and lead to outcomes that do not represent the true will of the American people.”
President Donald Trump has also expressed strong opposition to ranked-choice voting and has advocated for its ban. He called it a “fraudulent joke” and “one of the greatest threats to democracy” in posts on TruthSocial and during his Anchorage, Alaska rally in 2022 he criticized the complicated voting method that had just gone into effect.
So far, 14 states have banned ranked-choice voting statewide and another 11 are in the process of banning it.
Congressman Hamadeh emphasized the dangers Ranked Choice Voting poses to election integrity nationwide.
“The same Democrat pawns who support allowing non-citizen voting without voter ID and same-day voter registration also want to turn our Democracy into a rank choice voting scheme,” Hamadeh said. “Their motives are clear – they do not want to help Americans vote – they only want to help corrupt politicians win.”
Three states use RCV in statewide elections — Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine.
Alaska’s new Repeal Now group is circulating a petition to repeal the ranked-choice voting used in Alaska.
“In Alaska, ranked-choice voting has led to a delay and lack of transparency,” said Bernadette Wilson, one of the sponsors of Repeal Now. “It’s added to voter confusion and disenfranchisement. This is why we are actively collecting a new round of signatures to repeal this convoluted system in November of 2026.”
Wilson added, “We know voters were deceived and we feel confident they will vote yes to repeal this time.”
NB is exceeding even the most optimistic expectations. Well done Sir.
Genius move Nick! Keep up the great work!!
Nick Begich continues to impress me. He is doing a fantastic job.
Alaskans have proved more than once that they want rank-choice voting. This is just another cowardly attempt to undermine the will of Alaskans and our democracy, but this time by going over our heads. Why are Republicans so afraid of Democracy, Constitutional Rights, and Freedom? It’s becoming a theme.
There is no such thing as “our democracy.” This is a REPUBLIC. ALL the Founding Fathers spoke, at length, about the dangers of democracy, and of the majority overriding the rights of the minority.
And no, Alaskans do NOT want rank choice voting! The initiative establishing it was overwhelming funded by dark out-of-state money, as was the campaign against the initiative to ban it last year. But right will in the end prevail, have no fear of that.
These voting novelties and gimmicks are ONLY pushed by radical leftist forces, to undermine, corrupt, subvert and suborn honest elections.
If rank choice voting is so good, why hasn’t the People’s Democratic Republic of California adopted it? I’ll tell you why: because in that far-leftist extremist state, the powers-that-be know full well that it could only serve to moderate the far-left extremist element in that state. Here in Alaska, it serves to dilute and deflect the pro-freedom, anti-establishment vote, as it was designed to do here.
When the people that want rank choice voting only win when outsiders spend millions using fear and lies they win, not Alaskans. This was a game to manipulate voters in Alaska. It was money pushing Alaskans around. This is not “democracy” its screwing Alaskan voters with BS from the Democrats who otherwise can’t win in Alaska. Another “anonymous” person….who are you anyway? Obviously a democrat troll…
Outstanding! RCV is a leftist scam, it’s wrong, it’s un-American and must be abolished from our elections. 🇺🇸
You can figure out how to file for a PFD without any problem, but you’re mystified by RCV?
It’s not about confusion. It’s about an attempt to keep political power in the hands of extreme party leaders instead of those of the more center-oriented citizenry.
People like RCV – that’s why they voted it in – twice. It’s the politicians that don’t.
Seeing rigged choice voting for what it is does not mean one is mystified. It isn’t voting. What problem do you have with simply casting a vote for your desired candidate? How is the computer shell game keeping any money out of the hands of ‘extreme party leaders”? Add also, who likes RCV except you? I do not know a single person, nor met or inquired of, which I have, who has any favor towards it. I personally believe the reason the last ballot measure to repeal it failed was because of the other debacle, ‘cheat by mail’.
Funny how every far-leftist state and municipality refuses to allow rank choice voting, isn’t it?
Whidbey, don’t you ever get tired of being both dishonest and wrong?
I suspect that many more people dislike RCV than like it. What they really want is a voting system without party primaries, and this creates a dilemma for them. Very many wish they had the option to ditch the RCV, but keep a voting system without party primaries.
Absolutely brilliant move. Now if they can pass it.
Legislators submit bills either for show, or to go.
Begich (who I like) is a first term, bottom-tier, 1-vote, ineffective Rep. Don’t expect anything from this, except fist-pumping yeee-haws from constituents who don’t know better. But that’s OK – it’s what you gotta do to assert “something” that you did as a guy in his position.
I’ll say it again,
Nicholas is the best of the entire tribe. He’s the embodiment of the good Begichs.
Brilliant move. Thank you, Congressman Begich!
Only Republicans are apparently too ignorant to understand how ranked choice voting works, and frankly the GOP’s real problem with RCV is they can’t force voters to vote party line for extremist candidates, rofl
I really like Nick Begich, but don’t agree with him on this issue. I don’t support using RCV, but banning RCV while continuing to use simple plurality voting, which does enormous harm to election integrity, is really blind and ignorant. And why the heck is he calling it the “Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act?!” As bad as RCV may be, I don’t see any actual corruption associated with it.