Alaska is one of a few states that has ranked choice voting as part of its elections, but a ballot measure in November could change that.
In 2020, voters narrowly passed Ballot Measure 2, which instituted a nonpartisan top-four primary and ranked choice general election, but in 2024, a different Ballot Measure 2 would essentially repeal the 2020 Ballot Measure 2, by reverting the state back to a party primary process and normal general election.
The current system allows voters to cast their ballots in order of preference between the candidates. If a candidate fails to receive 50% on the first ballot, then the voters from the candidate with the least votes that round are reallocated to their next preference on their ballot until one candidate has received 50%. If a voter only picks one candidate, then his or her vote is not reallocated if that candidate is eliminated.
Ranked choice voting has seen an uptick in adoption in recent years, but Alaska’s use of the system has been one of the most visible uses of it in consequential elections.