Phil Izon, one of the leaders in the 2024 attempt to repeal Alaska’s ranked-choice voting and jungle primary system, doesn’t think Nov. 5th’s defeat of Ballot Measure 2 is the final answer. The ballot measure only lost by 743 votes, and that was with a small group of Alaskans up against $15 million in Outside dark money trying to keep ranked-choice voting.
Today Izon filed a new application with the Division of Elections to get another petition circulating, which would lead to Alaskans being given yet another chance to repeal the voting method that has been promoted by Outside dark money and Alaska Democrats.
Izon turned in 214 signatures on his petition application today. The wording that he is asking approval for is nearly exactly what voters voted on this year, which should make it easier for the Division of Elections to approve.
But this time, the key phrase is “remove.”
Izon and others have relayed to Must Read Alaska that many Alaskans were confused by the language of Ballot Measure 2 this year. They thought when they voted “No” that they were voting against ranked-choice voting, when in fact they were voting to retain it.
Now, the wording says:
“AN INITIATIVE TO: REMOVE THE RANKED CHOICE VOTING SYSTEM: AN ACT REMOVING THE RANKED-CHOICE GENERAL ELECTION; RESTORING THE PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION SYSTEMS USED PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF THE RANKED CHOICE VOTING INITIATIVE IN 2020 (19AKBE).”
“This act would Remove Ranked-Choice General Election. This act would restore one person, one vote by removing
the rank choice voting system and replacing it with the Primary and General Election Process used before the rank choice voting initiative was adopted in 2020. Primary voters would vote for their preferred party candidate, and one
candidate from each registered political party would appear on the general ballot. The candidate with the most votes
wins the Primary Election. The candidate with the most votes wins the General Election. This initiative also restores
voter choice in the nomination of the Lieutenant Governor for each party, reaffirming Alaska’s commitment to its two constitutional offices.”
The wording submitted by Izon is not the final wording. That will be up to the Division of Elections, as it was last time. This time, however, if confusing language is used in the ballot initiative, Izon is willing to challenge it, something he didn’t do last time.
Izon says that the past two years have been an education. There are people all over the state who are ready to try again and will gather the signatures needed. They’ve been through the learning curve together and believe it will be easier to get the required signatures from all across the state. The group will need to get signatures equal to 7% of the total district vote in the last general election from each of 30 of the 40 Alaska House districts.
If people are interested in being a petition gatherer or host an event, or volunteer, Izon has set up a website at www.907Honest.com. While he is not ready to take donations he is looking for volunteers who will help gather signatures once the petition booklets are issued.
The Division of Elections has 60 days to approve the new petition and issue petition books to the 907Honest group, a small grassroots group that is fighting Outside dark money that is taking over Alaska’s elections.
Can anybody tell me isn’t it against the law to have more than one vote? In rank choice voting we have more than one vote. And whether you’re a Democrat or republican once you do ranked choice voting you lose control of your vote. Your vote then goes to the system and they put your vote where they want. Isn’t losing control of your vote and voting more than once illegal?
It’ll never fly; the Div. of Elections will do what they do on everything, slant the wording into a word salads that will eventually so confuse the voter, it will just happen again.
Those people are trained professional, pencil driving paper-pushing desk flyers. It’s almost impossible to get around that.