Repeal of ranked-choice voting hangs by a thread

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After the latest batch of ballots were counted by the Alaska Division of Elections on Tuesday, it still appears that ranked-choice voting may be going away in Alaska. But the margin is very thin, not that different from the vote that installed the messy voting scheme that frustrates voters.

As of Tuesday night, 142,511 Alaskans are in favor of repealing ranked-choice voting, and 139,670 are opposed. The split is along party lines, with Democrats favoring the novel system of choosing political leaders — a system that in Alaska favors Democrats.

Although about 20,000 early and absentee ballots are still to be counted, there’s a drop-off of voting toward the end of the ballot. While 295,806 ballots have been counted so far, some 282,181 people voted on this particular ballot measure, about a 5% drop in the votes on number of ballots received. In the Trump-Harris race, for example, 293,515 votes were cast, more than 11,000 more than were cast in Ballot Measure 2.

The No votes have gained slightly in the latest count released. In the Nov. 8 count, the Yes votes were ahead 50.83%, and have slipped a bit to 50.50%.

Just 2,841 votes separate the Yes and No ballots.

Ranked-choice voting was installed by allies of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was unable to compete in another Republican primary election after her work to defeat President Donald Trump.

With the use of Outside money from liberal billionaires, the proponents convinced Alaskans they would have more choice in elections. But voters haven’t enjoyed the new scheme and, in fact, elections seem to be less secure, with results not being announced for 15 days after all votes are cast, embarrassing the state, which doesn’t seem to be able to run elections efficiently.

The people who want to retain it — mostly Democrats — have had over $14 million in dark money this cycle to defeat the repeal. They have fought hard, even telling people that if they don’t pass Ballot Measure 2, they won’t be able to have an abortion.

Meanwhile the repeal proponents have had less than $100,000 to work with, and have had to fight off multiple lawsuits and threats from ranked-choice advocates like lawyer Scott Kendall.

44 COMMENTS

  1. First we dump Ranked Choice Voting. Next: Lisa. Now, if there was only a way to dump the father of Ranked Choice Voting, Scott Kendall. Trifecta!

  2. RCV needs to go. This is embarrassing on the national stage to not be able to have results of an election more than a week after the election has taken place.

  3. The US Constitution doctrine is one man one vote not fractions or re arrangements. I believe anything other than that is likely a scheme, scam or fraud and not a necessary improvement.

  4. Doesn’t this just prove the need to remove RCV ? What a bad joke and makes Alaska look like idiots. Fingers crossed for successful ending of this mess.

  5. Somebody possibly a lawyer out there tell me isn’t rank choice voting illegal because you have more than one vote and you lose controller your vote when it goes in the system to be given to a different candidate. It should be one one person I don’t know if that’s a precedent or law, but it seems to me that we shouldn’t be able to have multiple votes and then be put into the system to control them. Looking for Some legal Standing.

    • It was not legal to begin with in 2020. There was more than one issue on the initiative. Why it was allowed to proceed is a good question that many are still asking. Why no legislators will even talk about this fact is a good question. Why the phony Lt. Governor did not investigate this is questionable. Why the Lt. Governor felt it was appropriate for her to run in a race that she was overseeing is questionable. The whole thing is a scam. The Governor, Lt. Governor and 99% of the legislators are blackmailed or paid off. It is all a scam and We The People let it happen.

  6. Cant win if they dont cheat.
    Who in their right minds welcome millions of dollars spent on twisting a tried and truly trusted election process into an abortion process to see who gets the holy grail all bought and paid for by billionaires who dont live here.

    They can obviously control the federal government by infiltrating the house and senate with hand picked drones to carry out the orders as they are rewarded with lots of cash.

    You dont go from Bethel to Prominence Point without gifts from three wise men.
    The salmon sisters and their phony process of winning without a proper primary process has clearly proven to be a rank system when a out of state convicted felon in prison can potentially win with this phony scam concocted by Billy Walkers law partner and a conman that insists it will keep foreign dark money from interfering.
    Its all bulls**t and the sheep love the con argument if it goes so will abortion.
    What happened to “My body my choice” just like the phony do or die vaccine mandates.

  7. I do not believe for a minute that many people voted ‘No’. If anything the numbers of the no votes indicate the unmitigated fraud that is occurring in our elections. Adding also Alaska being the second smallest in population yet being last in finalizing our elections? Something is very wrong.

    Is there a single reader here that wanted to keep RCV? Do any of those readers know people who wanted to keep it? Every person I know could not wait to get rid of RCV and a number of them were democrats. It was pretty universally despised so who voted for it to that shocking number?

    • I know of a few people that wanted to keep RCV: A lady in my neigborhood, traitor Rep. Jesse Sumner, puppet lawyer Scott Kendall, Traitor Sen. Lisa Murkowski, puppet Rep. Peltola – all these for sure and I’d add some others, but they are not verified.

    • Just like in 2020! Very suspicious! Just like all of the Rinos and democrats that are going to win by just a little bit. Very Suspicious!

  8. Yep, Scott Kendall should be thrown out of our state and NEVER allowed back in. Murkowski should be banned from ever running for office for doing this to the great people of this state. Make no mistake it wasn’t just Kendall, it was at her behest!

  9. I found it “amusing” that Murkowski cut a tv commercial in favor of RCV. I believe that our elected leaders are to take direction from what we the citizens want, not the other way around! This is just another example of how she has gone astray!

  10. Saw almost the same exact thing in 2020.
    .
    Rejecting RCV was winning, right up to the last day. Then suddenly, almost ever absentee ballot wanted it. It went from about 4,000 votes down to winning by almost 4,000 votes at the very last moment. Weird…

  11. I am not buying this BS of people not voting one way or the other on RCV, but voted the rest of the ballot. Stalin was right, it is who counts the votes that matter.

    • I absolutely believe a percentage (small percentage) of voters will leave spots on the ballot blank. And, if you are not informed about the issue, please do leave it blank. In this particular situation, the No on 2 ads were pretty compelling for those not up on the issue.
      .
      But, I find it difficult to believe that more than five, maybe… MAYBE 10% of the voters will leave something like BM 2 empty on their ballots. 1% I will believe. Maybe 3%. No more.

  12. Like other States, let’s outlaw RCV. Let’s also require two ID voting (voter registration card and drivers license or State ID) then paper ballots and hand counts. All votes must be received by day of election.

    While we are at it, let’s outlaw money from out of state donors targeted for political issues. Dark money must end.

    • How about allowing a carry permit as a voting ID??It requires fingerprinting to obtain. After which, a background is run. Eliminate felon voting

  13. Superbly written article, Suzanne. RCV is Lisa Murkowski’s last hope to keep the Murkowski dynasty alive in Alaska. The rest of us want to kill it and bury it.

    • The vote No on 2 ads were pretty damned effective. If you are not an informed voter and you vote according to which ad best appeals to you, you would likely vote no. Not everyone even bothers to read the ballot measures either.
      No on 2 says the BM will take away your freedom! And, without facts proving otherwise, people believed that.

  14. Where are some people in higher places that can help us investigate this legally? We have data crunchers and researchers among the voters that can do the numbers and investigate, but we need people in higher places to stand behind, or alongside us, to get our voice out there, to be heard and to open doors so that we can do thorough investigations..

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