Ranked choice voting and open primaries retained in Alaska after final ballot count

A final ballot count by Alaska’s election workers on Wednesday cemented the narrow lead for supporters of Alaska’s ranked choice voting and open primary system, who sought to defeat a ballot measure that would have done away with the state’s new voting process.

After 6,074 additional ballots were counted on Wednesday, bringing the total to 340,510 ballots in the November election, Ballot Measure 2 was on track to narrowly fail in a 49.9% to 50.1% split. The deficit after Wednesday’s count was 664 votes.

Juli Lucky — executive director of No on 2, the group in favor of retaining the election system — issued a statement along with former Anchorage Republican state Sen. Lesil McGuire, the group’s campaign chair. Lucky and McGuire said Alaska’s open primaries and ranked choice voting system “honors Alaskans’ independence and rewards elected leaders who work together to address the challenges that face our state.”

Supporters of the ballot measure argued that the open primaries and ranked choice voting system was confusing and took away political parties’ power to shape electoral outcomes. Opponents of the ballot measure said the voting system — which was itself adopted by ballot measure in 2020 — favored centrist candidates who were more likely to overcome partisan gridlock.

The results for the measure, and other races that appeared on the Alaska ballot, won’t be finalized until the end of the month, when the elections review board is set to complete its work. Once the results are certified, voters have up to five days to request a recount.

If the final result puts the gap at less than 0.5% of votes, the state must cover the cost of the recount. Otherwise, a recount could be conducted if those requesting it agree to cover its cost.

In 2020, Alaskans narrowly adopted a ballot measure that first put in place the open primary and ranked choice voting system.

The 2020 measure passed with a one-point margin. At the time, Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, who oversaw the election, ordered an audit of the outcome to assuage some concerns raised by voters. The audit confirmed the initial result in the election.

Alaska’s current Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has not commented publicly on whether she would seek an audit of the results regarding the ballot measure or any other races. In a statement released Wednesday, she thanked election officials “who dedicated their time to ensuring a smooth and secure election process.”

Dahlstrom said Wednesday’s ballot count “demonstrates our commitment to upholding democracy and respecting the will of the voters.”

Whether or not the state will keep ranked choice voting and open primaries could have far-reaching consequences in the near future. A coalition of left-leaning and moderate legislators in the Alaska House has announced its plans to form a majority in the coming legislative session.

Members of the coalition — which is slated to include mostly Democrats and independents alongside two GOP lawmakers — have indicated they hope that additional Republicans will join. But those Republicans have not committed to joining such a coalition as they await the fate of Alaska’s open primary system. If it is replaced with closed primaries, which generally favor more partisan candidates, Republicans on the fence could choose against joining a coalition, even if that means serving in the minority.

Alaska’s recent election results have shown that some Republican state lawmakers have been rewarded for their willingness to join bipartisan coalitions — like in the case of Republican Sen. Kelly Merrick of Eagle River, who has repeatedly favored serving in the majority alongside members of the opposite party — while others are punished for the move, as in the case of Sen. David Wilson of Wasilla, who was voted out in favor of the more conservative Robert Yundt after Wilson agreed to join a bipartisan coalition two years ago.

Proponents of Alaska’s voting model tried this year to implement similar voting systems in several other states. In most states where ranked choice voting or open primaries were on the ballot — including Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon — voters decidedly rejected the reforms.

In Alaska, proponents of the voting method spent nearly $15 million opposing the repeal initiative. That is more than 100 times what supporters of the ballot measure spent promoting their cause. But the Alaska Republican Party also threw its weight behind the initiative. Party leaders argued that the voting method took away its power to shape results through partisan primaries.

Philip Izon, a Wasilla resident who launched the repeal initiative shortly after the 2022 election, has already indicated he plans to launch a second initiative if this year’s measure proves unsuccessful.

“Against all odds and with just a fraction of the resources, we stood toe-to-toe with the giants that out funded us 100 to 1 and came within a whisper of victory,” Izon said in a statement Wednesday. “This is proof that people, not money, hold the true power. With renewed energy and a belief in our cause, we can turn that razor thin loss into a decisive win.”