Ranked choice voting is the product of millions of dollars from non-Alaskan, dark-money advertisements, which were spoon-fed to Alaskans by a barrage of ads before the election.
We are now one of two states — Maine is the other — that use RCV statewide. Alaskans were “sold” this voting system, and now we “enjoy” being the last state in the union to receive our election results, six weeks after the election.
It does not save the state money by eliminating primary elections, nor does it abolish partisanship.
RCV does not encourage more people to vote. In fact, 100,000 fewer ballots were cast in 2022 than in 2020. Many of the votes cast were thrown out — 22,000, or 9% — because the first ranked choice candidate was eliminated and no second or third choices were made by those voters.
Alaskans did not ask for RCV — it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and “sold” to us by Outside dollars. Sign a petition to get rid of ranked choice voting in Alaska.
— Dennis and Dorothy Smith
Anchorage
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