Following the Division of Elections’ review of the thousands of signatures submitted by Repeal Now, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom officially approved the petition to repeal ranked-choice voting (RCV) today, December 31. Alaskans will get to vote in the 2026 election to either keep or repeal RCV.
The Division of Elections verified 42,837 signatures (exceeding the required minimum of 34,098 signatures) and verified that the petition contained signatures from all 40 house districts.
The proposition will appear on the 2026 general election ballot as follows:
More About RCV and the Repeal Now Effort
Alaska is only one of two states that operates rank-choice voting for state-wide elections. Maine was the first to implement the new voting mechanism in 2018. Alaska followed suit in 2020. 12 additional states plus the District of Columbia have authorized the use of RCV for specific types of elections, but not for statewide elections.
Repeal Now volunteer Wyatt Young Nelson writes in an earlier column published by Must Read Alaska: “An example of what damage rank choice voting can do is the city of Minneapolis… The election required 33 rounds of vote counting and redistribution, which took weeks before a winner—Betsy Hodges—was declared. Even then, she was elected without receiving a majority of the vote. … Ballots were discarded due to errors, and others were “exhausted”—meaning votes were thrown out after several rounds because no remaining candidates were ranked. Voters found themselves forced to rank people they didn’t know, support, or agree with politically. Since then, Minneapolis has consistently had some of the lowest voter turnout rates in its municipal elections.” Nelson argues, “We’ve seen similar problems here in Alaska since adopting RCV.”
Voter turnout is a huge problem in Alaska with the highest voter turnout in the 2025 local elections only 45% of eligible voters (with many local elections seeing even lower voter turnout). Only 44.38% of Alaskan voters spoke up in the 2022 statewide election, and a slight majority (55.8%) of all registered Alaskan voters voiced their will in the 2024 national election. The unintended consequence of the majority’s refusal to vote is a democratic sanctioning of rule by the minority.
Governor Dunleavy has also published his opinion on RCV. He writes: “I won under the traditional voting method in 2018 and again under ranked-choice voting in 2022. So, my position on this issue is not about political gain or loss. It is about trust, clarity, and confidence in our electoral process. Ranked-choice voting was pitched as a reform to solve a problem that, frankly, didn’t exist in Alaska. We were told it would reduce partisanship, promote consensus candidates, and make elections more fair. In reality, what we got was a system that confused voters, made outcomes less transparent, and created deep concerns about how votes are tabulated and who ultimately decides an election.”
Alaskans attempted to repeal RCV in 2024 but lost by only 664 votes out of 340,110 total votes. On November 3, 2026, Alaskans get a chance to either reaffirm support for RCV or take down what many Alaskans consider a convoluted election sham.
Yes, the state and national Republican Party apparatchiks are upset that their lock on candidates has been broken, but let’s look at the results insofar as legislative effectiveness goes. The last two state legislative sessions—post RCV being enacted—have been far more productive and timely than has been the previous norm. Cross-aisle consensus building, leading to policy and budget productivity, without those cursed extended sessions (unless you count the ones the governor created).
You say “The last two state legislative sessions—post RCV being enacted—have been far more productive and timely than has been the previous norm.”
I say Prove it.
If one is a left leaning maoist who believes that the collectivist policies manifest destruction to conservatives and Christians, an opinion like this in not unexpected.
Lock on candidates? A little gaslighting there. How about most people tend to vote conservative when given a straightforward and open election not encumbered by confusion and sleight of hand. RVC is not voting. It is an elaborate hoax created by leftists such as yourself, to dishonestly wrest power as you cannot do that wirh simple honest elections.
By ‘productive’ you mean achieving some leftist ends wirh the leftists who made it into office essentially corruptly via RCV.
RCV is cumbersome, opaque, and does not help nonpartisanship. As a nonpartisan, I was able to vote in primaries every year until RCV. As a nonpartisan, I was not allowed to vote in the 2024 Presidential primary. I had to join a party. I certainly didn’t become a Democrat.
Translation: raiding the PFD, more spending, some discussion over imposing taxes upon the populace.
Yeah…so productive. I want them to be less productive. A government that does less, is better.
“Cross-aisle consensus building…”
An efficient and fast moving legislature is the opposite of what I want to see. I want healthy and productive debates that last for ages. Why? Because when a group all agrees that “this is good” without that in depth and sometimes argumentative debate, they have not fully investigated the issue.
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Oh, sure, it starts with moving a few bills forward faster than normal, but the inevitable outcome is the CA legislature which moves so many pieces of legislation there is only a few minutes for open debate on any of them. A good government is one that is deadlocked until the laws and/or spending under consideration is beaten to dead horse or beyond levels.
Good.
RCV is a leftist scam to disenfranchise conservative voters, confuse the elderly, and open the door for cheating during the tabulation which can take up to three weeks after Election Day. It has done great damage to our state which seemingly can only hold meetings, make plans and do absolutely nothing.
Cam, what are you smoking? The legislature in Juneau is FUBAR.
Awesome- now make the wording easy so people understand it on the ballots. Yes you want to get rid of RCV- no you want to keep it! It’s that simple
Good, now if we go by votes counted and received by election day RCV I’d dead, but we know they have 10 days to fix the vote
Conservatives are against RCV because they think it works against them in elections. Simple as that. That’s why they continue to push for its annulment. So let the People decide (again). Maybe the third time will be the charm, or maybe people in the moderate center will vote to keep it. I’m pretty sure that the latter case will prevail.
Honest people are against RCV because it opens up a lot more room for errors, is not transparent, and disenfranchises voters. It’s that simple.
RCV proponents claims it helps garnering nonpartisan candidates. That’s a falsehood. Rules for getting on the ballot would help garner more candidate choices, not RCV.
12.3 MILLION dollars. All spent by millionaires who DO NOT LIVE IN ALASKA. That’s how it was pushed through last time, and just barely. There were absolutely NO “moderates” involved.
Funny thing is repub gov won in rvc.
Repub Congressman won in rcv.
Sure there are several issues regarding RCV that need refinement. The timeline being chief compliant.
Underlying issue is the open primary. It limits the establishment party gatekeepers. It allows any Alaskan to directly participate. You do not need to be rich, be politically connected, nor pretty. You need only to have a passion to serve Alaskans and be able to listen to the issues and potential solutions.
I encourage Alaskans to politely decline to sign the rcv repeal effort. Why would any Alaskan submit to the establishment? There are 38 trillion reasons why they have failed us and future generations of Alaskans.
Further I hope many of MRAK readers take advantage of the Open Primary. The party gatekeepers will push forward cookie cutter candidates over and over. Those candidates will create the same historical poor record as the past candidates. Many of you readers and commenters have far superior solutions than your typical repub or dem cookie cutter candidate.
Be Brave. Be Emboldened. Serve.
Alaskans need men and women of the Last Frontier Character not dudes and dudettes with east coast think tanks.
I am about the most conservative person you will ever encounter. And, I am not against RCV because of the reason you cite. I would oppose RCV if the conservatives benefitted from it.
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I abhor RCV because it destroys the ideal of one person, one vote. It is more like one person, up to four votes.
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And, yes… I know all the arguments about “instant run off” and how it results in elections that make more people happy, etc… etc… etc… I am have yet to be persuaded that RCV is not just a way to allow one person to cast multiple votes for a seat. Want to have a run off? Do it the right way. The two candidates with the most votes go to a run off election two/three weeks later. Comparing the platforms of the two candidates is much easier than doing so for 4+. And,, the candidate I ranked first may not be in the run off. Two candidates I do not know much about might be, and I want the time to evaluate their positions. RCV takes that away from me.
Alaska’s News Source claims this is one of the things on the Repeal RCV legislation and I’d love to hear more clarification about it as I find it concerning.
“The third component is limits on donations to campaigns and disclosure laws of true sources of money will be eliminated.”
Is this true? Why would we want to eliminate disclosure of true sources of money? This could be a stickler. I hope Must Read Alaska can clarify this.
Hello, Manda! Thank you for commenting!
These are great questions. Yes, it is true that the third part of the ballot initiative states that current limits and disclosure rules would be removed if the proposal passes.
I am looking into it why that has been included in the initiative and will provide further explanation as soon as possible. Must Read Alaska highly values election transparency and integrity. Alaskans deserve to know whose money is impacting their elections and where that money comes from.
Hello, Manda, I reached out to Repeal Now regarding your concern. They said they would provide an explanation to help voters understand this specific part of the ballot language. Must Read Alaska will publish a story when we receive this explanation from them, so keep an eye out for that!
The original ballot measure that foisted RCV on Alaska was sold as an ” end to dark money” when it was supported by the very dark money it purported to stop. It was a Trojan horse from the very beginning
RCV is easily manipulated and it’s funny how the winners and beneficiaries of this voting apparatus are Democrats. The exception would be Lisa Murkowski but we all know she’s a Democrat.
Never trust tabulating computer, the primary tool of criminals flipping votes.
God, what idiot would actually believe that RCV is anything but a smokescreen for leftist cheating? Days, even weeks to “count” votes. Minority voters aren’t able to come up with whatever it takes to walk into an office and get a state ID, free of charge, but of course they will have no problem taking the time to sort out the convoluted mess that is RCV. ‘Well, the Conservative candidate has a big lead NOW. We’ll need a couple of weeks to “find” enough votes to put our lefty candidate in the lead. Just Barely.’ The same pattern repeated over and over. RCV has been banned in 17 states so far. It would be banned in Alaska, too, if so many of our RINO state legislators weren’t literally owned by the same wealthy outsiders who poured MILLIONS in outside money into pushing RCV through, grossly outspending any opposition.
Yes, yes, it’s all of the cheating leftists that are out to get you. Never mind there’s never been a single study thats shown any widespread voter fraud at any level in any election in this country. I think it’s most likely that you’re just a sore loser.
LOL cman steps right up and answers the question in my first sentence! Hilarious!
Once again, there cannot be any demonstration of election fraud without any investigation.
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I also notice you use the term “widespread voter fraud.” Curious use of words there. If I were to point out that a single individual were to have voted dozens of times, it would fail your test because one person is not widespread. Or if a vote tabulation machine were hacked to change the outcome, that is not a “voter” doing it, so once again, your statement remains valid.
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However, there is ample evidence of voter irregularities that must be investigated, but are not. In fact, it is generally the folks on the left that will sue to prevent the investigation and audits. I need look no further than Fulton County, GA, where they basically said they F-ed up the 2020 election and certified some 315K votes illegally.
Yes, there has never been a single study that’s shown any widespread voter fraud at any level in any election in this country — that you radical leftist extremists are openly and honestly willing to examine.
It is in the nature of radical leftist extremists, like you, to lie, cheat and manipulate — to do ANYTHING to gain and exercise raw, naked power. Because that is your end-all and be-all.
This blather from a Trump cultist. Astounding hypocrisy Jefferson.
If MAGA doesn’t like it, that’s an automatic yes from me to keep RCV. I don’t do stupid, from Reagan to Retarded in 40 yrs, the Republican Party motto.
MAGA does not like drinking poison. MAGA does not like self inflicted gunshot wounds. MAGA does not like the religion of peace blowing themselves up in suicide attacks.
Now, go and put your money where your mouth is.
RCV preys on the 50 -75% of voters that pay no attention other than to vote for governor or president.
One person, one vote.
the afn alaska federation of natives support rcv they encourage the villiagers to vote for rcv during there convention in anchorage. and they do.
And?
What makes you think a political organization, such as the AFN, is actually speaking for their membership? I remember watching AARP ignore their membership during the 0bamacare debates and supporting it. What makes you think AFN is any different?
Sure, unless you need to get to work, three feet of snow and no snowplow yet.