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By Rich Percival
Associate News Editor
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Alaska voters have again rejected an attempt to scrap ranked-choice voting after a bruising election that put two Dan Sullivans on the Senate ballot.
The defeat of Ballot Measure 2 marks the second time in two years that Alaskans have voted to keep the system, despite complaints about confusing ballots and political gamesmanship.
Yet neither of this year’s biggest races may need a ranked-choice runoff. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins won the governor’s race with a majority of first-choice votes, while Mary Peltola is nearing the same threshold in her Senate challenge against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
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Peltola remains below 50 percent as counting continues. If she finishes with more than half the first-choice votes, she will win without a ranked-choice runoff.
Alaska Rejects Repeal Again
Unofficial results released by the Alaska Division of Elections on November 13 showed 53.52 percent voting against repeal and 46.48 percent supporting it - a lead of 18,655 votes.
Ballot Measure 2 would have restored party primaries and general elections in which voters choose just one candidate. It also sought to repeal campaign-finance rules intended to identify the sources of political donations.
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Its defeat leaves Alaska’s election rules intact after months of arguments over whether they give voters more freedom or invite candidates to manipulate the field.
Supporters say the system rewards politicians who reach beyond their party’s base. Critics argue it confuses voters and allows little-known candidates to advance with minimal support.
Governor Wins Without Runoff
Kreiss-Tomkins cleared the majority needed to win the governor’s race outright, and Republican Bernadette Wilson conceded.
The November 13 count put his ticket at 50.81 percent of first-choice votes.
Peltola was close behind that threshold in the Senate race, with 138,240 votes, or 49.84 percent. Senator Sullivan had 127,828 votes, or 46.09 percent.
The Senate contest remains unresolved. Further counting will determine whether Peltola wins outright or whether the race turns on how supporters of the other candidates ranked their remaining choices.
How the Voting Works
For congressional and state offices, Alaska combines an open primary with a ranked-choice general election.
In the primary, all candidates appear on one ballot, regardless of party. Each voter picks one, and the top four advance to November.
In the general election, voters can rank those candidates from their first choice to their last. Nobody has to rank every candidate.
If someone wins more than half the first-choice votes, the race is over. Otherwise, the last-place candidate drops out and their supporters’ ballots move to the next candidate they ranked who is still in the race.
Further rounds narrow the field to two. A ballot stops counting toward the remaining candidates when it has no eligible choice left.
Alaska has scheduled ranked-choice tabulations for November 18, after the remaining eligible ballots have been reviewed and counted.
The Two Dan Sullivans
The Senate controversy began with who could get on the ballot, rather than how ranked votes would be counted.
Retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. advanced through the open primary alongside Senator Dan S. Sullivan, giving voters two similarly named candidates in November.
A state judge overturned election officials’ decision to exclude Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the primary ballot, and Alaska’s Supreme Court upheld that ruling.
A New York Times investigation reported that operatives aligned with Peltola had helped recruit candidates to weaken Senator Sullivan. Peltola denied knowing about or participating in those efforts. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. also denied that his candidacy was illegitimate.
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The Justice Department sued over potential voter confusion. Its allegations do not establish that ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. were intended for Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
Ranked-choice voting could reduce the impact of any confusion. Someone who ranked Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. first and Senator Dan S. Sullivan second could have their vote transferred to the senator if the retired teacher were eliminated.
Any transfer must follow the preferences marked on each ballot. Votes for the two Sullivans cannot simply be added together.
A Fight That Has Not Gone Away
Repeal supporters have pointed to longshot candidates advancing and stronger candidates withdrawing after the primary as evidence that the rules invite tactical maneuvering.
Defenders argue that open primaries give voters more say over who reaches the general election, while rankings allow them to support a less prominent candidate and still express a preference between the eventual finalists.
They also opposed scrapping disclosure requirements designed to reveal who is financing political campaigns.
Voters approved the reforms in 2020, and Alaska first used the system in 2022.
A previous repeal effort came much closer to succeeding in 2024. A recount confirmed its defeat by just 743 votes: 160,973 against repeal and 160,230 in favor.
This year’s rejection preserves the system for future elections.
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