Alaska votes to keep ranked choice voting!

Matthew Oberstaedt, Yates Wilburn | 

Alaska has voted to continue using ranked choice voting (RCV) and open primaries. 

This historic vote comes on the heels of ranked choice voting’s successful use in the state in 2022 and 2024, where it has been used to choose members of Congress, state legislators, and the governor. This year, Alaska voters used RCV to vote for president for the first time.

Ranked choice voting has given Alaskans better choices on their ballots and made campaigns more positive. Following the state’s first RCV elections in 2022, bipartisan majority coalitions formed in both houses of the state legislature that aimed to put Alaska’s interests above party interests; this year, bipartisan majority coalitions had already formed by the day after the election.

Once again, voters made their voices heard and, once again, voters approved open primaries and ranked choice voting, a system that honors Alaskans’ independence and rewards elected leaders who work together to address the challenges that face our state. This is truly a win by Alaskans, for Alaskans, which will benefit our state for generations to come.

– statement from the No on 2 campaign

Since 2016, ranked choice voting has grown from just 10 cities to 51 cities, counties, and states. This Election Day, nearly 4 million Americans voted for better elections with ranked choice voting, and RCV won majority support in every city where it was on the ballot. State-level measures tended to perform best in areas that already used ranked choice voting (including statewide in Alaska!), showing that voters like RCV once they get to use it. 

For more information on ranked choice voting in Alaska, see our roundup below or visit Alaskans for Better Elections. To support RCV where you live, join an RCV group in your state today!

How ranked choice voting is working in Alaska

  • Alaska voters like and understand RCV: In a 2024 survey, 84% of Alaska voters said that ranked choice voting is simple. In a 2022 survey, 62% said they supported the new primary system. 
  • RCV gives voters greater competition and more power: In Alaska’s first use of ranked choice voting in 2022, 52% of voters said their vote “mattered more” than in previous elections. 60% reported that the 2022 elections were more competitive than other recent elections. 
  • RCV allows independent-minded Alaska voters to express their nuanced preferences: In 2024, 27% of voters crossed party lines in their top two choices (i.e. ranking a Republican first and a Democrat second, or vice versa). On a single election day in 2022, Alaskans elected a conservative Republican governor, a moderate Republican senator, and a moderate Democratic congresswoman. In 2024, Alaskans elected conservative Republican Nick Begich to the U.S. House, another reminder that the reform is party-neutral. 
  • RCV has increased bipartisanship in state government: Bipartisan governing coalitions have already formed in both houses of the Alaska state legislature following the 2024 elections. This builds upon the success of bipartisan coalitions in the legislature during the 2023-24 legislative session.
    • “I think it’s really great. I think it shows a cohesiveness in both bodies to getting things done.” – Alaska Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel
  • RCV encourages more positive campaigns: Republican, Democratic, and independent candidates including Rep. Mary Peltola, State Sen. Cathy Giessel, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski have adopted campaign strategies that avoid personal attacks and emphasize their ability to work across the aisle. Notably, Murkowski and Peltola have endorsed each other for federal office – though Murkowski is a Republican and Peltola a Democrat. Candidates have also actively campaigned to be the second choice of voters ranking a competitor first, with the Alaska GOP and Congressman-Elect Nick Begich adopting a “rank the red” strategy in 2022.  
  • RCV gives voters more choice and makes elections more competitive: In 2022, the share of uncontested state legislative elections in Alaska was cut in half from 2020, and was lower than any cycle in the previous decade. 2024 had the third-fewest uncontested races since 2012, and remained well below the pre-reform average. 
  • RCV has increased representation for women and people of color: After the 2022 elections, Alaska state government was more racially diverse than ever before, with 14 people of color serving, representing 23% of the legislature. More female candidates ran for statewide office in 2022 than all five previous election cycles combined, and women won a majority of open seats.

This section was last updated in May 2025.

Additional Resources

This section was last updated in May 2025.