Vote “YES” on Ballot Measure 2 to eliminate Ranked Choice Voting in November

Article updated Aug 23

Please do not be fooled by the hype. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is bad for voters and it’s bad for candidates.

This race for District 36 is one of the two races in Alaska this August affected by the open primary and RCV. We will lose 2 candidates following the primary. Only one other race in the state will lose a candidate in the primary. Every other candidate advances to the general election in November.

With up to four candidates advancing to the general election in every race, the choice on who to vote for in November becomes a popularity contest amongst citizen candidates that can find the time and the funds to campaign strong to the end. But it doesn’t end there. To win an election, a candidate needs >50% of the votes. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, elevating the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots. If no candidate wins enough votes, the process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.

The details of how this system works are still murky for many voters. I have been asked “do I have to rank three?”, “does my ballot count if I only rank one or two?”, and other questions that must be answered for the public.

Voters need to know, you do not have to rank three candidates.

You can rank, one, two, or three and your ballot still counts. In our District 36 race, it’s possible we have two Republicans on the November ballot, and one Democrat. In this case, we are asking that you rank Rebecca Schwanke 1st, and your second Republican gets ranked 2nd. Then do not fill out a 3rd choice.

RCV benefits the minority party represented in each race as they have the easiest path to election.

As a business owner, a parent and a school board member, I am working 7 days a week, long hours, to ensure I get out there in front of voters in one of the largest districts in the state so that I may rise above the other conservative candidates on the ballot.

In 2020, Alaska voters approved a ballot measure to establish our current RCV general election system, but it was loaded with outside money and a push for a very specific Congresswoman to get re-elected. Voters approved the measure by 50.55%. A large reason the measure passed was that it was combined with calls for campaign finance reform. Alaskans were duped by marketing professionals to usher in an election process that was never in the best interest of Alaskans.

How do we know who the good guy in this race is to eliminate RCV? Both groups, on the surface, look to be solid good-hearted… who doesn’t want better and more honest elections?

Alaskans for Better Elections was leading the campaign pushing RCV in 2020. They want to keep it in 2024.

Alaskans for Honest Elections was leading the campaign opposing RCV in 2020, and now they want to get rid of it in 2024.

So who’s telling us the truth? The voices behind each Political Action Committee (PAC) say all the right things, that our current system allows for more freedom, more choice, more influence, and greater participation among Alaskans. Outside money is fueling support for RCV.

The problem is, RCV renders our primaries mostly useless with most candidates moving on to the general election without much fanfair. Our primary voter turnout is fading because of this process, and the final winning candidates will generally be minority (party) candidate in each race. If in any race, there are more than one candidate from each party, those candidates will almost always split the vote, handing the election to the minority candidate.

We must vote to repeal Ranked Choice Voting in November.

RCV puts undue burden on candidates and it is a waste of donor money. We need to go back to a logical election process where citizen candidates that fail to win the primary vote, can go back to being spouses, parents and excel at their jobs and community volunteer efforts without having to worry about wasting anyone's hard-earned donation money going forth to a pointless general election. Ballot Measure 2 is officially called “An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries and Single-Choice General Elections” and it returns to the election process in place prior to 2022.

A "yes" vote on Measure 2 supports eliminating the open top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting general elections in Alaska, and re-establishes a party primary system.

This is not the only important decision to make in November however. With so many candidates on the ballot for each race, we need to play our cards right. If we don’t, we’ll lose out to the minority party represented in each race. This is not at all fair for Alaska voters.

In November, we all must Rank the Red if we want to return to a fiscally conservative citizen-run Legislature in Alaska.

Any other vote will result in handing this election to big-government candidates. Please do not miss these opportunities to bring honesty and common sense back to our elections.

An example of our District 36 line-up to show how the ranking process works in the general election. If there are only two Republicans on the ballot, you can vote for 1st and 2nd, leaving your other choices blank.