By L. KATHRYN HOLMSTROM
I would like to address the problems that the ranked choice voting election system has created in the great state of Alaska.
This system was initiated by Alaskans for Better Elections. The organization was given an immense amount of dark money from organizations from outside of our state to ensure that RCV would be implemented statewide. We became aware of how awful this system was when it impacted our 2022 election.
As a resident of Alaska for over 35 years, I would like to list a few of my concerns with the ranked choice voting system:
- There is a jungle primary, which has numerous problems. One of the problems is that there is no vetting. This opens the door to fraud and manipulation of the system. This recently came to light when a convicted felon incarcerated in New York placed his name on the ballot to run against Mary Peltola as the Democrat candidate.
- One person is not selected for the party during the primary vote. This results in the vote being split out if you have two people of equal likability and similar views on the issues. This can occur whether you are Republican, Democrat, or Independent.
- Because of the complexity of the system, there is a long delay in receiving the results. I remember knowing the results in 24 hours prior to ranked-choice voting, while now it is three weeks or more. This again opens up a door of opportunity for fraud.
- Many of the ballots were trashed in the 2022 election, because the people did not understand how to vote. If you have to send out instructions and pay for commercials to tell people how to vote, you do not have a user friendly system.
- Recently we have been bombarded by commercials for “No on 2”; their intent is for the Ranked Choice Voting System to remain in place. The commercials, again, are being initiated by Alaskans for Better Elections with outside dark money. They tried everything, to try to keep the repeal of ranked-choice voting off the ballot in 2024; even taking it to the Alaska Supreme Court, so that Alaskans would not have a voice as to whether they would like to keep RCV or return to the traditional closed election system that we have used for hundreds of years. They lost the battle in court, so now they are using $4.3 million in dark money they received in August to tell us that we don’t want dark money used in our state to influence our election. This is the definition of deception.
The bottom line is: Don’t fall for their attempt to deceive and confuse; vote YES on Ballot Measure 2.
L. Kathryn Holmstrom is a concerned resident of Alaska.
VOTE YES on 2 and save Alaska from leftist tyranny and fraud. 🇺🇸
1. There was no vetting under the previous system. As many on the right say you can be RINO and in be in the Republican Primary, and actually win the general election as well.
2. Splitting the vote, this is laughable as you need to get to 50% under RCV.
3. Sometimes it takes time to count all of the ballots as mail in votes as the election is close.
4. Please provide specifics, I don’t understand how people can’t comprehend listing your choice of candidates in order. 1, 2, 3, 4.
5. The yes on 2 crowd was found to be in violation of state campaign finance laws by APOC, and it those fines were upheld by the courts.
I think ranked choice voting is a disaster for those that expect at their vote will change something. You should not rank any other candidates for second or lower choice. Choose your first place candidate and nothing else. The department of elections in Alaska has failed the people of Alaska by not explaining the implications of choice voting, or how other candidate selections are tabulated when the votes are counted.
Contrary to the title of the article, the RCV system has worked swimmingly for the Democrats.
Remember folks, whether you are on the ‘Yes on No’ side, or are on the ‘No on Yes’ side, the important thing is to get out there and vote vote vote !!!