In a sudden and unexplained reversal, Anchorage Assembly Chairman Chris Constant on Tuesday night rescinded a motion that had previously a September public hearing on his proposed ranked-choice voting ordinance. The decision to cancel the hearing was made without discussion or explanation, and the Assembly voted unanimously to rescind the previously scheduled hearing date.
The proposal, Ordinance No. AO 2025-58, was intended to give Anchorage voters a chance to weigh in on whether municipal elections should adopt the ranked-choice voting system already in use for state elections. The ordinance would amend the Anchorage Home Rule Charter and revise Municipal Code Title 28 to implement RCV for mayoral and Assembly races.
Originally, the Assembly had set a public hearing for Sept. 9, a required step before placing the measure on the April 2026 ballot for voter consideration. Constant’s motion to cancel the hearing halts that process — at least for now.
Constant, who is term-limited and expected to leave office next year, has previously stated his intention to see ranked-choice voting adopted for Anchorage elections before his departure. His decision Tuesday night, made without comment, leaves the future of the proposal uncertain.
Ranked-choice voting has voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and ballots for that candidate are redistributed based on the next-ranked choice. The process continues until a candidate achieves a majority.
The system is a point of political contention across Alaska. While it is currently in place for state-level elections following a narrowly approved 2020 ballot initiative, a second citizen-led repeal effort is actively collecting signatures to place an anti-RCV measure on the ballot. The repeal campaign argues that RCV is confusing, burdensome, and undermines electoral transparency.
In addition to being used in Alaska’s state elections, RCV has also been implemented in New York City for local elections. There, it has led to a Muslim Socialist winning the Democratic primary for mayor.
The system is also being proposed for adoption in Juneau’s municipal elections.
Constant’s withdrawal of the Anchorage proposal’s hearing means that, for now, the RCV measure will not advance. It remains to be seen whether the Assembly will revisit the issue later this year or if Constant will reintroduce a similar ordinance before his term ends.
This entire Assembly needs to be fired immediately! They work for the people.
Not to make decisions on their own, to not deal with the one thing that needs to be removed and recinded. RANKED CHOICE VOTING!!!
Constant Is a —–. How embarrassing.
Why bother with ranked choice voting?
The Assembly has already made it nearly impossible anyone to the right of Chairman Mao to get elected in Anchorage.
Probably one more layer of BS and voter obfuscation to remove, just in case voters manage to use the initiative process to repair the other issues. (IE, mail-in ballots, DMV/PFD registration, extremely low turnout hijacked by government employees/special interests due to elections held in April.)
As Anchorage was pretty close to 50/50 in the last two presidential contests. I doubt that RCV would benefit one side or the other much in terms of winning seats – it just allows crazier, nuttier candidates to share the general election stage and collect 1st round votes and recognition, while making the process more difficult to audit.
Was hilarious how the State delivered its ranked ballot data in the form of raw .JSON data files. Left the public to sort how people ‘rank voted’ for the Congressional seat on their own. I’m sure the average voter is capable of writing the scripts necessary to easily process that data. ‘Transparency’ indeed.
With almost all radical leftists running or in office, it is RANK choice voting.
Surprise action by Constant. What’s his angle? He would not do this if it were going to be a slam dunk. Is there something in the wording that might create some weakness in a court case? Has the polling indicated that RCV has become a toxic issue? Nothing is clear with Constant. Never has been. And this is by commission on his part.
Ranked-choice voting is pure corruption foisted upon Alaska by corrupt Democrats and their corrupt dark money backers.