A liberal Outside group wants Alaska to model its primary system in part after Louisiana’s jungle primary, an election design that has all candidates on the same ballot regardless of party, and all voters, regardless of party affiliation, having access to the entire ballot. Political parties can’t close their primaries to those registered with the party, something that Republicans do in Alaska to prevent Democrats from crossing over and voting for false-flag Republicans.
The jungle primary is why the current gubernatorial election in Louisiana is dragging on — today is a runoff election because neither incumbent Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards or leading Republican Eddie Rispone won 51 percent of the vote on Oct. 12. The two were the top finishers, with Edwards winning 47 percent of the vote, and Rispone having to fight for a runoff spot with other Republicans in the race.
The challenge for candidates is to get their supporters to go to the polls twice within a few weeks is just one of the unfortunate consequences of jungle primaries. Runoffs are expensive.
The group trying to force jungle primaries into Alaska would solve that problem by having an “instant runoff,” where people rank their choices on the ballot, and a computer calculates and recalculates the winner by reassigning votes depending on the rankings. If the first choice of the most voters doesn’t reach a majority, the computer retabulates the second, third, and fourth choices until one candidate reaches more than 50 percent.
One of the biggest complaints with ranked voting is that it’s confusing for voters. It also depends on the computer program that does the counting and recalculating. Critics say it’s trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
Paid professionals are now gathering the signatures across the state to force onto Alaska’s ballot the transition to jungle primaries combined with instant-run-off ranked voting — a combination of voting changes never tried in any other state.
The initiative is heavily funded by liberals trying to turn the state blue, because Alaska is a cheap and easy state to take advantage of with the initiative process that gives Outside groups an oversized influence. To date, no Alaska group has formed to explain to voters the motives and methods of the Outside group that calls itself “Better Elections,” although it’s clear the Alaska Republican Party has the most to lose.
Here’s how the reasoning is explained in the Daily Kos, a far-left political news site:
“A top two primary system is supposed to theoretically elect more moderate candidates, as winning could require appealing to voters of both parties. It also supposedly makes the general election more competitive. As an example, suppose you are a Democrat living in a very Republican district where the Democrat has no chance of winning a general election. In the primary, you now can still vote for the Democrat like you normally would in the primary, but in the general election when the top two Republicans are the choice, you can vote for the more moderate Republican and have an influence on the election.”
This would work very well for Democrats in Alaska, who could vote for the more moderate Republicans, ones who would create bipartisan coalitions such as the one operating the Alaska House of Representatives today.
The gubernatorial runoff in Louisiana today is considered a razor-thin race, with Edwards having the advantage of incumbency. Alaskans interested in the upcoming possible changes to Alaska’s election system may want to pay close attention.
The reverse is also true. The group successfully lobbied for rank choice voting in NY City and it was just approved. This change will hurt liberal Democrats and help moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans.
How would rank choice have factored in to the Murkowski win or the Stevens loss? In both cases the conservative candidate probably would have benefited. Stevens over Begich and Miller over Murkowski. Republicans and independents who voted against the party nominee probably wouldn’t have ranked the election winners as top choice.
Where is the Alaska Republican Party? This is a initiative sponsored by outa state big liberal dollars, that should be enough to spark interest by the Republicans.
As a side bar, Alaskans, always ask to see the driver’s license of a signature getter for any petition. You will be surprised on the reaction you will get.
Most are professional signature getters , non Alaskans, sponsored by liberal billionaires who know what is best for us backward Alaskans.
Lisa Murkowski will be a US senator to age 80 under the jungle rules. We can get rid of her in 2022 under a closed Republican primary. THAT’S the difference.
If you wish to create a cesspool in Alaska like Californistan vote yes. For me NO.
REMEMBERING Trojan Horse Vic Vickers! & the cabal of Chuck Schumer/ Mark Begich and the deep State to frame Alaska’s great Senator Stevens in the 2008 primary. The Republican Party needs to go all out to squelch this latest scheme. Democrats cannot win on the merits and they will not accept the results of fair and straightforward elections. They must resort to underhanded methods to impose their socialist, bankrupting agenda on the American people. This is an example in spades. Down with it!
Hopefully T-Rump comes to Alaska to stump for the Gov, working good so far in the other States.
“Jungle primaries!” Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” Gotta keep those scary boogeymen commin’ no matter what. Hard to take to simple fact that Bluto isn’t exactly a political asset these days. Soon, all the GOP candidates will be begging him to stay away.
Wait a minute here. What happened to all the coms earlier? Do I have to ask Medred?
Well if you think our elections are s——- up now try this.
In Maine’s 2nd District, which Rep Bruce Poliquin won by 55% in 2016, Trump had 51%. Bruce was the only Rep in New England (26 House Seats in 6 States). He polled 49.7% in the 2018 General, but by the time it was over he lost 55%-45%. Maine”s Senior Senator Susan Collins is up for Election, where she won five years ago by 67%-33%. It is a different World today. She won my support when she delivered the most detailed and honest speech at the Kavanaugh Hearings.. She started at the beginning and called a spade a spade ( the facts) showing what kind of clowns the Democrats really were. They have no compulsion to bald-face lying.
Go ahead give the results to the computer and Alaskan Democrats. Remember, this would include our governor, House and Senate candidates. If you really want to improve our Elections, move the Primary back to the First week in June allowing a new candidate to build a Campaign.
The original Election intent that Fishermen needed to vote is no longer a rational of 60 years ago.
Thank You, Roger Jenkins
Proud member of the 14th Legislature (1985-87)
For some reason, I can only see comments after posting one, thus the ‘R’ above. What’s with that?
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