Alaska Natives are embracing ranked choice voting
On Tuesday, FairVote published a new report diving into how and why communities of color benefit from ranked choice voting (RCV). This edition features a new case study on how Alaska Natives engaged with RCV in 2022.
Our analysis finds that Alaska Native and Native American voters – who make up about 20% of Alaska’s electorate – propelled Mary Peltola to victory in the state’s first RCV election. Peltola is the first Alaska Native ever elected to Congress.
Alaska Natives were key to passing RCV in Alaska in 2020, and two major Alaska Native groups have recently endorsed it – the Alaska Federation of Natives as well as the Alaska Native Brotherhood and the Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp (the oldest known indigenous persons’ civil rights organization in the world).
The Alaska Federation of Natives resolution highlights how RCV gives Alaska Native voters better representation:
The open primary and ranked choice voting system provides more opportunities for Alaska Natives to run for public office and get elected . . . [The reforms] gave all Alaskans more choice in their representation and a greater voice in their government
RCV levels the playing field for candidates of color, making the government look more like the people it serves. It’s no wonder key Alaska Native groups have embraced RCV – the fastest-growing nonpartisan voting reform in the nation. Read FairVote’s report for more information.
