Alaska voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have abolished the state’s non-partisan primary system and ranked-choice voting, according to an Associated Press race call.
The decision marks the second time Alaskans have voted against repealing the system, which was approved in 2020. A similar attempt in 2024 was narrowly defeated.
Alaska’s voting arrangements have attracted national attention this year because two candidates with the same name appeared on the four-person general election ballot for the US Senate.
That contest appears likely to proceed to a ranked-choice tabulation, under which voters’ second preferences can be counted if no candidate wins a majority.
How Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system works
Unlike traditional party primaries, Alaska allows voters of all political affiliations to choose from the same primary ballot. The four leading candidates then advance to the general election.
California and Washington operate similar non-partisan primary systems, but send only the top two candidates through to the general election. Alaska is distinctive in combining a top-four primary with ranked-choice voting at the final stage.
Opponents argue that the arrangement is confusing and vulnerable to manipulation. They pointed to the Senate race, in which an independent candidate called Dan Sullivan was alleged to have been recruited as a Democratic-backed spoiler to draw votes away from the Republican incumbent, who is also named Dan Sullivan.
Democrats denied recruiting the independent candidate, who reached the general election and has defended his decision to stand.
Supporters of the system said ranked-choice voting could reduce the effect of any confusion. Voters could rank both candidates named Dan Sullivan, while choosing not to rank Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, for example.
Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, a philanthropic venture fund that invests in non-partisan electoral reform, said before the result was called that the vote showed support across Alaska’s political spectrum.
“Alaskans of all political stripes have spoken: They want the freedom to vote for any candidate, regardless of party, in every taxpayer-funded election,” he said. “At a time when most general elections across the country are essentially coronations, the Last Frontier is showing that a better way is possible. It is time to honour the voters’ decision and move forward.”
Massachusetts voters also rejected a proposal this year to adopt a top-two non-partisan primary system. During the 2024 election cycle, voters in several states turned down ballot measures that would have introduced systems similar to Alaska’s.
