Change, even when positive, often comes hard in America. But with patience and an effort to learn, change can be explained. And over time, Americans, the most resilient and adaptable people in the world, have come to embrace and accept change.
So, with that in mind, here are the facts about Ranked Choice Voting in Alaska that many people either ignore or simply don’t know about or want to understand as they argue against this change in our state election law.
In 2020, a majority of Alaska voters voted in favor of a new process for holding statewide elections — RCV. While a close vote, the majority standard was met. At the same time as we adopted RCV for our general elections, we also adopted nonpartisan open primaries in which voters make a single choice, and then the top four vote-getters advance to the general election. These two changes mean Alaskans have the best opportunity to choose as their elected representatives those candidates who represent the broadest views of Alaskans.
This is working well for many reasons. In Alaska, we have a long tradition of non-party registration. While there are about two times more registered Republicans than Democrats, more than 60 percent of voters are not registered in one of the two major parties. By having nonpartisan, open primaries where voters pick one candidate, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general primaries, we ensure we have the best candidates regardless of party.
To secure one of the top four spots, it means candidates may choose a campaign strategy that appeals to the most voters rather than a narrower base. The same is true for the general election. Using RCV voting, candidates in the general election may have their best chance of victory by appealing to the broadest constituency.
Unless an overwhelming favorite is expected to win more than 50 percent in the initial vote, under RCV, it is nearly as important to be voters’ second choice as it is their first. Using RCV, Alaska voters are guaranteed that the winner of federal elections will have received 50 percent of the vote, a situation that often did not occur before RCV.
Now for some myth-busting. First, RCV is no more prone to voter error than traditional one-candidate voting. And yes, it can take up to 15-days to count the votes in Alaska elections. This is not due to RCV. This reality existed before RCV was adopted. Alaska has several unique characteristics among the 50 states that led our legislature and election office to adopt laws and rules that provide for a 15-day vote counting period:
—Alaska is 2.5 times the size of Texas and one-fifth the size of the lower 48.
—Only 20 percent of Alaska is accessible by road, and we have only 12 numbered highways.
—Because of the state’s geography, 131 of the 401 precincts are hand-count precincts. On election night, they phone in their results, and then the ballots are returned to a regional office where they are scanned.
—Alaska has a significant percentage of our electorate serving overseas in the military, and we want to ensure their votes are counted. In addition, many young voters are in college in the lower 48 yet vote in our elections. Last, a large percentage of Alaska’s voters live in rural Alaska, which is very different than in almost all the rest of the United States. The result is we want there to be a reasonable amount of time for all ballots to be counted. However, the ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day.
As evidence of how long it had historically taken to count votes before RCV was adopted, it took many days to finally declare winners in the following Alaska elections:
—Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s win in 2010 was called after 15 days.
—Rep. Don Young’s and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s wins in 2020 were called after eight days.
As you hear and read more news about Alaska’s election, remember, taken as a whole, Alaskans have adopted specific laws and regulations to ensure the votes of the people of Alaska are counted. While perhaps not how other states do it, this works for us.