The Anchorage Assembly will hold a public hearing on Sept. 9 to consider an ordinance that could bring Ranked Choice Voting to local elections.
The proposal, Ordinance No. AO 2025-58, would place a question before voters to amend the Anchorage Home Rule Charter and update Anchorage Municipal Code Title 28 in order to implement Ranked Choice Voting for municipal offices.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 6 pm during the Assembly’s regular meeting at the Z.J. Loussac Library Assembly Chambers, located at 3600 Denali Street.
According to the official notice, the ordinance is being brought forward by Assembly Chair Chris Constant.
If passed by the Assembly, the measure would be submitted to voters in the Municipality of Anchorage in April, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Juneau Assembly is advancing a plan to adopt ranked-choice voting for future local elections. On June 2, the Assembly advanced an ordinance introduced by Assembly member Ella Adkison that would implement the new voting system starting in 2026. A public hearing and final vote are scheduled for late July.
Adkison claims the RCV system fosters consensus and allows for more nuanced voter expression — though she has offered no evidence to support this assertion.
The Alaska Legislature, filled with officials elected under RCV, is a counterexample, with observers noting record levels of dysfunction and gridlock. Adkison works as a legislative aide to Juneau state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest, access to sensitive voter data, and divided allegiances.
Juneau will become the first municipality in Alaska to use ranked-choice voting for local elections, with Anchorage following close behind.
Alaskans adopted ranked-choice voting in Alaska via a ballot initiative in November 2020 through Ballot Measure 2, which passed with 51% of the vote. That measure established a top-four jungle primary system, ranked-choice voting for general elections, and a change to how the governor’s race is managed starting with the 2022 election cycle. In 2024, an effort to repeal ranked-choice voting failed by 664 votes. Another effort to repeal it is now under way.
Anchorage adopted vote-by-mail elections for municipal elections in 2018, and Juneau has since adopted mail-in elections.
In her consistent siding with Democrats, Sen. Lisa Murkowski quickly condemned the forcible removal and handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla after he disrupted a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. Murkowski called the incident “shocking at every level.”
“I’ve seen that one clip. It’s horrible. It is shocking at every level. It’s not the America I know,” Murkowski said to a reporter on Thursday, reacting to a brief video circulating on social media that shows Padilla being aggressively escorted out by security while he struggled against them. Murkowski did not hesitate to criticize the law enforcement response.
Padilla, a California Democrat, interrupted the DHS press event to protest recent immigration enforcement actions in his home state. He was ultimately removed by federal officers, put to the ground while struggling to remain upright, and briefly detained. His office later said he was exercising “the right to peaceful dissent.”
Murkowski’s defense stood in stark contrast to comments from other Republicans, who condemned Padilla’s actions as disruptive and inappropriate.
“Alex is normally a thoughtful and well-reasoned member, but when you go into someone else’s press conference to disrupt it… you have to expect a reaction,” said Rep. Darrell Issa of California. “He made an error in judgment. Hopefully, this whole thing blows over. No harm, no foul.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson was more harsh: “What Senator Padilla did was wildly inappropriate,” he said. “Democrats have been defending lawbreakers, and now they are acting like lawbreakers themselves.”
Congressman Byron Donalds said, “Sen. Padilla didn’t want answers—he wanted airtime. Shoving past security for a viral moment is a stunt, not leadership. If he cared about solutions, he’d have asked for a meeting. But like most Democrats, he just wants the spotlight.”
When Alex Padilla was CA Sec. of State, his office sent an email to Twitter 1.0 saying that “dc_draino is spreading election misinformation”
Weeks later I was banned for “election misinformation” for almost 2 years
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also weighed in, stating, “Padilla should be ashamed of his childish behavior today.”
Padilla’s Performance.
He walked in loud, aggressive, and entitled. Security responded. Now he’s crying about being cuffed like he didn’t ask for it.@AlexPadilla4CA You got treated how you showed up. Next time show up with more respect and less entitlement.
Democrats in Congress have taken to X to post videos and statements condemning the Trump Administration and demanding that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security be impeached or must resign “in shame.”
Just last month, the Justice Department charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey with assault after she attacked federal officers during the arrest of Newark’s mayor outside an immigration detention facility.
Murkowski’s reaction to Padilla’s removal is unlikely to go unnoticed. But her memoir is coming out this month, and during the lead up to the book’s release, all publicity is good publicity.
Thursday was the day for the budget signing in the Governor’s Office. Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed some $122 million out of the budget given to him by the leftist-controlled Alaska Legislature. The vetoes were surgical. The full spending, excluding federal receipts, will be about $5.3 billion.
Before releasing the details of the cuts, he said “We don’t have enough money to pay for all of our obligations,” he said, because of the price of oil dropping and thus, revenue diminishing. “So as a result of that you’re going to see some reductions in this year’s budget. It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s certainly not a fun thing to do. But it’s necessary.”
He said his office had already predicted lower revenues and had presented amendments to the Legislature earlier this year to reduce the ask of the appropriating body. He also said that the price of oil and revenue may change and he and the Legislature can make adjustments next year in the supplemental budget if conditions improve.
Indeed, when Israel bombed Iran on Thursday night, the early markets showed a marked pop upward of oil prices, which are notoriously volatile.
Notably, the Base Student Allocation increase, which was set at $700 for the coming year, was reduced to $500, about a 28% decrease. That saved $50 million. The Anchorage School Board, having been tipped off about the cut, held an emergency board meeting on Thursday, at which it was announced this will cost the district about $4.3 million. Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said he wants to take Gov. Dunleavy to court over the cut.
Also, the Legislature’s designated cut to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority did not stand. Dunleavy instead will use funds from the Higher Education Investment Fund and attempt to replenish that fund in a supplemental appropriation next year.
The Alaska Travel Industry Association was trimmed by $2.5 million and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s budget was cut by 50%.
The governor also cut funding to the Alaska Children’s Trust. Last month the ACT announced it will be sponsoring the creation of a new nonprofit: “Alaskans for Trans Kids.”
Israel launched a military strike on Iranian nuclear sites late Thursday night, June 12, further destabilizing an already volatile region and threatening to derail ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Oil in after-hours trading shot up. The price of crude oil in early trading on June 12 showed that Brent crude futures rose by $5.29, or 7.63%, to $74.65 per barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $5.38, or 7.91%, at $73.42 per barrel, after the Israeli strikes on Iran.
The Israeli offensive was carried out without overt US military backing, comes just days ahead of a planned sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers, scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman. While the full extent of the damage remains uncertain, the attack marks one of the most direct military confrontations between the two longtime adversaries in recent years.
Iranian state media said Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Hossein Salami was killed in the bombing in Tehran, a direct hit on Iran’s top military leadership.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
The air strikes targeted Iran’s expanding nuclear program and military leadership, killing the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and hitting dozens of sites in an operation that risks plunging the region into a new conflict with unpredictable consequences and possible global war.
According to Israel, dozens of aircraft completed the initial wave of attacks before dawn Friday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
The situation is fluid and likely to change by the hour.
Prime Minister Netanyahu: "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival.
The US has insisted that Iran must abandon its uranium enrichment capabilities essential for building a nuclear weapon, a demand Iran has rejected, leaving talks stalled.
The timing of the escalation comes just as America faces its own internal insurrection from illegal immigrants and their enablers, many of whom are planning riots for Saturday, which is Flag Day.
This isn’t Gaza
This isn’t Tehran
This isn’t Damascus
This is Washington, DC in front of the White House tonight where protesters waved HAMAS flags and shouted Allahu Akbar during their mass prayer.
The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday voted 8-4 to repeal a ill-conceived ordinance that required all customers at bars, restaurants, and breweries to show ID before buying alcohol, regardless of their age. Even if you were clearly in your 60s, the server would ask to see your ID if you ordered alcohol. The rule, which took effect on March 1, lasted just over three months.
With the repeal, hospitality venues are no longer required to check every customer’s ID. However, liquor stores must still card everyone, as they’ve been doing under a 2011 state law.
The original goal of the now-repealed ordinance was to stop people with court-ordered alcohol restrictions, identified by a red stripe on their driver’s licenses, from buying alcohol at on-site establishments.
But the policy quickly ran into problems. It turned hospitality transactions into rude interactions.
Business owners complained of slow service, lost sales, and upset customers, especially older locals and tourists who were confused or offended by the blanket ID checks. Some staff even reported verbal abuse from frustrated patrons.
The repeal shines light on the difficulty of turning a well-intended public safety measure into reasonable policy. As Anchorage is in its busy summer tourism season, businesses hope the rollback will ease tensions and speed up service.
The ordinance caused confusion. Some wait staff even tried to “card” patrons who were not ordering alcohol but who were at a table where others were ordering adult beverages.
Assembly members Daniel Volland and Scott Myers, who had supported the ID rule originally, joined newcomer Yarrow Silvers to push for its repeal.
The vote broke down as follows:
Opposed to repeal (voted to keep the universal ID checks): Anna Brawley, Zac Johnson, George Martinez, and Felix Rivera.
In favor of repeal: The remaining eight members.
Read about the now-repealed ordinance at this link:
Alaska Congressman Nick Begich voted Thursday in favor of a sweeping federal rescissions package that claws back $9.4 billion in previously approved but unspent government funds. The bill, House Resolution 4, passed the US House in a narrow 214–212 vote and now heads to the Senate.
In a statement released on X, Begich called the measure “a necessary step for restoring fiscal responsibility in our nation,” adding that “America has been built on principles of freedom of expression, self-determination, sovereignty, personal responsibility, and limited government. This package supports those values by rescinding $9.4 billion from programs that do not reflect the will of the taxpaying public.”
The legislation cancels funds that had been allocated to various foreign aid efforts and to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports NPR and PBS stations nationwide, including Alaska’s public radio and television networks. Much of the targeted foreign spending was routed through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which Begich described as “ideologically-shaped” and “misused to promote political and socially left policies abroad” under the Obama and Biden administrations.
“This package helps refocus our support in ways that are consistent with America’s core values, rather than promote the agendas of international bureaucracies and ideological NGOs,” Begich wrote in a statement.
The congressman said cuts to public broadcasting subsidies, are due in part to how the media landscape has changed dramatically since the early days of radio.
“While rural communities have in the past been indirectly supported through state-sponsored media, we must acknowledge how far we have come in terms of connectivity since the birth of radio more than 120 years ago. Alaskan residents have embraced today’s pervasive cellular, satellite, and wireline technologies, connecting rural communities to critical information and resources in rich and compelling ways.”
Rescission does not affect emergency management funding directed to rural communities. “Importantly,” he said, “emergency management funding from these budgets that is directed to rural communities has been preserved.”
He added that he will continue to support both “new connectivity technologies” and “durable legacy technologies such as radio and long-range digital television” to ensure Alaska’s remote communities stay connected.
A rescission, under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, allows Congress to cancel previously approved funding that hasn’t yet been spent. It requires only a simple majority in both chambers, making it easier to pass than most other forms of budget legislation.
While rare, rescissions are sometimes used to signal fiscal restraint or redirect funds away from programs that have become politically unpopular.
With the House’s narrow approval, the bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where senators like Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins are unlikely to go against public broadcasting, which has been a political ally of theirs for years. Murkowski also has issued statements in support of USAID, calling the cuts by the Trump Administration a “confusing and callous handling of personnel matters.”
A tense Anchorage Assembly meeting this week laid bare ongoing questions about a 2021 ordinance requiring city permits for homeless shelters, a rule originally advanced by liberal Assembly members amid efforts to shut down the faith-based Downtown Hope Center, which refuses to house biological males in its women-only facility.
Assemblyman Daniel Volland requested legal clarification on the ordinance’s enforceability, prompting a visibly angry response from Assembly Chair Chris Constant, who said, “I’ve never been as filled with as much rage as I am now on this body,” before agreeing to give city attorneys, who were caught flat-footed on whether the ordinance has any teeth, more time to review the matter.
Attorneys later advised that even without formal permit approval, shelters could continue operating under provisional status.
Assemblyman Keith McCormick said he would vote against issuing the permits, arguing that shelters like the Anchorage Rescue Mission, Brother Francis Shelter, and Clare House have operated safely for decades without city meddling. He echoed concerns raised during the Bronson Administration, when the city’s Health Department warned that requiring shelter licenses could push more people into homelessness.
But back then, the Assembly was bound and determined to put the Downtown Hope Center out of business since it provides shelter beds to women victims of domestic violence.
Anchorage Assembly Chair Chris Constant says he has never before been filled with so much rage. And that's saying a lot because rage is what he is best known for. pic.twitter.com/Ima8MXiRvE
In a time of rapid change and fierce division, the American flag still flies — steady, unshaken, and resolute. It is more than cloth and color; it is the embodiment of who we are, what we’ve overcome, and what we still strive to become. The flag doesn’t demand blind loyalty — it calls us to remember the sacrifice, the unity, and the spirit that have defined this country since its birth.
Each star and stripe bears witness to our collective journey. It tells the story of patriots who defied an empire, of brave men and women who stormed beaches and marched on bridges, of generations who bled, believed, and built. From the fields of Gettysburg to the sands of Iwo Jima, from the steps of Selma to the towers of September 11, the flag has been there, not as a bystander, but as a beacon. To honor the flag is to honor every American who gave part of themselves to the cause of liberty. Dismissing it as “just a symbol” is to forget the blood, courage, and conviction sewn into every thread.
Yet the power of the flag is not only in our past; it lies in its ability to unite us today. In a nation of over 300 million voices, backgrounds, and beliefs, it stands as a rare common ground. It waves over cities and farms, courthouses and schoolyards, in moments of celebration and grief. When we salute it or place a hand over our hearts, we are not erasing our differences — we are choosing to rise above them. We are choosing to affirm a shared promise: that we are still one nation, indivisible, committed to liberty and justice for all.
Yes, this nation is imperfect. But the flag does not celebrate perfection as much as it calls us to pursue it. It reminds us that democracy is never finished, that freedom is never free, and that every voice matters, even the ones raised in protest. That’s the beauty of our republic: The flag protects the very rights that allow us to question it. Its strength is not in silence, but in the freedoms it represents.
In communities like ours, where neighbors still look out for each other and where values run deep, honoring the flag isn’t about politics — it’s about pride. It’s about teaching our children that gratitude matters, that freedom is fragile, and that we all have a role in keeping the American promise alive. When we raise that flag, we’re not just honoring the past; we’re investing in the future.
As our country faces new challenges and choices, the American flag still waves. Unbowed, unmistakable, and undiminished. Let’s honor it not out of duty, but out of conviction. Let’s stand for it not because we’re told to, but because it reminds us of everything we hold dear.
In that simple gesture lies a powerful truth: For all our faults, this country is still worth believing in. And so is its flag. God bless the United States of America!
Rep. Cathy Tilton serves in the Alaska Legislature.
In spite of dissatisfaction with the city’s unilateral decision to impose vote-by-mail a few years ago, on June 9th, the Juneau Assembly moved to consider mandating another burdensome and unnecessary voting scheme.
Over the past several months after listening to countless hours of Juneau Assembly meetings, I’ve heard citizens regularly testify on non-agenda items. In multiple meetings, dozens of people have pleaded with the Assembly to address the vandalism and public disturbances connected with the growing homeless population in Juneau.
But I can’t remember any member of the public begging the Assembly to adopt Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for our municipal elections. Yet somehow, city leaders decided it’s more important to spend staff time and money on this issue that nobody cares about.
With no prior notice, RCV first surfaced on a February 3 Human Resource Committee (HRC) meeting agenda as “information to start the conversation.”
The accompanying memo by the Law Department noted the department “was asked to draft legislation to move the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) to a ranked choice voting system.” No mention was made of why or who requested it.
On the HRC agenda again on March 3, the ordinance was moved to the Committee of the Whole (COW). After being reviewed on May 5, and again on June 2, Assembly members finally began publicly discussing it. Even with apparent confusion on how it would work, Assembly members voted unanimously to formally introduce the ordinance at the June 9 Assembly meeting.
In the months leading up to its introduction, despite considerable controversy in Alaska and around the country surrounding the use of RCV, there has been no public testimony or mention in the media (until recently). With little discussion, this draft ordinance passed with no objection through multiple Assembly subcommittee and COW meetings.
Alaska is one of three states that use RCV in state or Federal elections. While some US cities use RCV today – New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Portland, to name a few, 17 states have adopted prohibitions on the use of RCV in any elections. 22 states have no laws addressing RCV, and none of these states nor any local government in those states use it.
While this topic is hotly debated within Alaska, RCV is an outlier nationally and has never been used in this state for local elections. In Alaska’s 2024 general election, an RCV repeal lost by 743 votes out of 321,203 votes cast. RCV only survived due to a contentious $13 million campaign funded by out-of-state dark money to sway voters. Currently, a new repeal effort is underway which may very well succeed.
Still, CBJ Assembly members seem poised to pass this without any serious rationale or research.
Assembly members apparently assume that since most Juneau voters were opposed to the state-wide repeal of RCV last year, then voters must surely favor implementing RCV in local elections as well.
But there are considerable differences between state-wide elections and local elections.
RCV is designed to work within a partisan primary and general electoral system with numerous candidates and close elections where no candidate receives 50% of the vote (and runoff elections may be required). That just isn’t the case with Juneau’s elections. Juneau elections are non-partisan and, historically, candidates often run unopposed or only have one challenger. In those instances, RCV has no value except to further complicate voting and jack up the cost of elections.
Proponents claim RCV will encourage civil discourse and promote more diverse candidates. It certainly hasn’t done that in statewide elections. In any case, those issues aren’t a factor in Juneau elections which have remained respectful and fielded candidates of all stripes.
While CBJ Assembly members have assured the public there will be time for public comment, it appears, thus far, that will mostly be for show.
Why spend time and money on a solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist?
Voters already have high levels of suspicion of voting systems that are difficult to explain and delay final results (sometimes for weeks).
Will the CBJ Assembly ever address the real concerns that citizens regularly bring them? Homelessness and community affordability are serious community problems and RCV is an unnecessary distraction that won’t do a thing to help solve them.
After retiring as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in Alaska, Win Gruening became a regular opinion page columnist for the Juneau Empire. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is involved in various local and statewide organizations.
