By CYNTHIA ERICKSON
As, an Alaska Native living in rural Alaska, I am concerned about rank choice voting. First of all, when you normally vote yes, on anything that means we want it and no, means to reject it.
Well, this isn’t what’s happening in this case. Very confusing. We have approximately 240+ villages. Do we have 240+ Dominion vote counting machines in all of our villages? There are not enough Dominion machines installed in all our villages, so ballots have to be sent to Juneau to be counted.
In 2022, there were ballots from six villages of, St. George, Levelock, Ambler, Kiana, Kobuk and Noorvik, that weren’t tabulated, in the final count. In rural Alaska there are so many more obstacles, weather, airplane mechanicals, Internet issues, bush plane’s cancelling and mail bags being lost, etc.
Another issue with RCV, is the language barrier. My dad is 94 years old and trying to explain how RCV works, to any Native elder is confusing. It’s complicated in English! It’s discouraging to elders and many people in the villages and they say, “I want the old way back!” It’s discouraging and causes many elders to not want to vote.
One thing that bothers me, was that this wasn’t started as a grassroot effort by Alaskans. We didn’t have any issues with our voting system. Why change something that wasn’t broken? One vote. One candidate. Straightforward, honest and simple.
Another frustrating thing for me, is the outrageous amount of money from out of state, put into and spent in Alaska trying to push and convince Alaskans we want RCV. Why? I went to the Alaska Public Offices Commission website and there are more than $12 million donated from New York, California, Washington D.C., etc. to advertise and pay people to push ranked-choice voting on us. That is a lot of money!
But, what was surprising and appalling to me was they gave Alaska Federation of Natives $50,000 to push the Vote No agenda at AFN. Why didn’t they invite the Yes on 2 team, to attend and educate our people on both sides? It would have been nice to hear both sides of the issue.
If this was such an awesome, super great voting system why aren’t all of the other states using it, not only Maine and Alaska? Why are they trying so hard to keep RCV in Alaska? it’s unfortunate we changed our system, that was never broken.
I hope you join me, in voting Yes on 2 and go back to what worked perfectly! One vote. One candidate.
Don’t let outside people and money, try to convince and buy us off. We don’t trust and we don’t want ranked-choice voting!
Cynthia Erickson is a resident of Tanana.
The Ranked Choice Voting is the work of Lisa Murkowski and her Democrat friends in the Administration of Biden. One has to remember, the Lisa Murkowski depends on the native vote to keep her in office so you have no representation.Ballot measure 2 would remove Ranked Choice Voting. Lisa Murkowski and her Democrat friends spend millions to keep this corrupt system in place.
In a rural setting like Alaska, where runoffs can mean even more delays caused by the very things you mention, it can be an election and a runoff election rolled into one. Frequently, more than 3 candidates get a minority of the vote when the system won’t allow a clear winner. Have to win by more than 50% etc. This gives the electorate a chance to rectify that. Yes, it can be confusing if not explained multiple times and even then can be. In the case of your father, maybe run a few mock election ballets by him. Do a practice election. See how he does. Change can be difficult for some.
Why ‘fix’ something that was never broken? Add also this election most conservatives are not ranking. We do not need it and few want it. It was confusion and misleading promotion that led many to vote for it in the first place. Now false information is being used to try and confuse voters once again to keep it. Yes on 2!
“This gives the electorate a chance to rectify that.”
It also opens the door for more opportunities to cheat.
Out of the 50 state legislature races this year, only 15 had 3 or more candidates (30%) and 10 were single candidate races (20%). In 2022, it was 27 out of 59 (46%) and there were seven single candidate districts (12%). Fewer and fewer districts even need ranked choice voting. And that is assuming that none of the candidates in those 3+ candidate districts get to 50% on the first round of counting.
I’m trying to remember a run off election in Alaska during my lifetime. The same low quality, highly corrupt politicians are normally re elected until they die.
The RCV was initiated for the sole purpose to maintain the Murkowski dynasty. The first time Lisa faced the public in an actual primary she lost.
Winning a write in campaign is statistically negligible, particularly when simply misspelling her last name would disqualify the voted ballot.
With the pathetic state of public education here, this was a serious issue causing undue stress for her handlers.
At the federal senate level, no one that matters gives a rats’ rear what the voters in Alaska want, there are important agendas and funding streams that special interests count on that must be maintained.
Investing a few million $$ to create and implement RCV in Alaska, and a few million $$ more to keep it, is well worth it to insure Lisa perpetually stays in Washington.
RCV is a vote rigging tool and needs to be tossed out.
Cynthia states. “……this wasn’t started as a grassroot effort by Alaskans. We didn’t have any issues with our voting was that this wasn’t started as a grassroot effort by Alaskans. We didn’t have any issues with our voting system. Why change something that wasn’t broken? One vote. One candidate. Straightforward, honest and simple. Why change something that wasn’t broken? One vote. One candidate. Straightforward honest and simple.”
This statement should resonate with everyone. No one in our state started the effort to put RCV in place. The same monies that pushed it upon us are now pushing it on other states and it is on the ballots in Colorado, Oregon, Arizona and a few others. Thank you Cynthia Erickson for taking the time to write and keep this important message going. Yes on 2!
That statement mentioned right there is the whole ballgame. It was “top down” push from the start. An under my/our thumb, being squished downward operation. Anti liberty. “Fixing” a non-existent problem.
The RCV system is as detestable as the people who foisted it upon us (and they used programmable Dominion voting machines. that had been programmed in a proprietary fashion, to clear the count hurdle to bring it over the top, too).
Cynthia’s concerns are warranted, and her perception is clear.
“If this was such an awesome, super great voting system why aren’t all of the other states using it, not only Maine and Alaska? Why are they trying so hard to keep RCV in Alaska?”
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Good questions. I can only assume they are pushing so hard to keep it in AK because it is being pushed in several other states this year. If AK were to overturn/repeal it, it would almost certainly ruin their chances of destroying the voting system across the nation.
Very good words
It’s all about controlling the State and the minerals. Easier to take over a large State with minimal population, than a small State with over a million people. Same as it is easier to seed the upper atmosphere here in Alaska and use the HAARP to play with weather because no one rarely looks up and wonders what is coming down. Little by little they take.
It can help either side depending on the vote. It may have been started to benefit one candidate, but there are ways to make your vote count. Learn that way. It has been posted on here more times than there are stars in the sky.
Thank you for writing this. I agree, we need to go back to the system that wasn’t broken and gave us the best chance of electing the best candidate, not the least disagreeable one.
100%
Maine keeps it to keep Lisa’s. twin sister, Susan Collins another reliable vote for Democrats and their rite of child sacrifice.
I wonder how much, the blow torch made on that remember how hard Mike Pacaro pushed for RCV, I no longer tune in his show, and Joe Pag is way more to my liking, I hope your blow torch goes out Mike
100% agree Cynthia!
Cynthia, you have stated what many of us believe so well. Thank you!
The effort to repeal it IS a grassroots effort by Alaskans. Please vote YES on ballot measure 2!
Well written!! Dark money too influenced the vote in Villages!!