Alaska Ballot Measure 2 Trails as Early Vote Counts Show System Surviving
Early election tallies indicate that voters are narrowly rejecting a proposal to repeal the state's open-primary and ranked-choice voting system.
Alaska's controversial Ballot Measure 2, which aimed to repeal the state's open-primary and ranked-choice voting system, was trailing in early vote counts as of Wednesday. Preliminary results published by the Alaska Division of Elections showed that with 393 of 400 precincts reporting, approximately 51.9% of voters opposed the measure, while 48.2% supported it.
The ballot measure sought to dismantle the current election framework adopted by voters in 2020 and used since 2022. Under the existing laws, all candidates compete on a single primary ballot, and the top four vote-getters advance to a ranked-choice general election regardless of their political party. If Ballot Measure 2 had passed, Alaska would have returned to traditional party-run primaries and pick-one general elections without ranked-choice voting.
In addition to altering primary and general elections, the measure proposed eliminating requirements for third-party political donors to disclose their funding sources, allowing anonymous contributions. It also would have likely removed direct financial donation limits for gubernatorial candidates due to a conflict with a previous ballot measure passed in August.
The campaign surrounding the initiative drew massive financial investments, primarily from out-of-state donors. Supporters of Ballot Measure 2 raised about $2.5 million, while opponents of the repeal raised more than $10.4 million. High-profile figures weighed in on the race, with the Alaska Republican Party and President Donald Trump supporting the repeal, alongside a significant financial contribution from tech executive Elon Musk. Meanwhile, advocacy groups, labor organizations, and native federations backed the retention of the current system.
Supporters of the existing election laws argued that open primaries and ranked-choice voting favor moderate candidates and foster bipartisanship within the state legislature. They also heavily emphasized the importance of maintaining strict campaign finance disclosure laws. Opponents of the system, using the slogan "yes to end the mess," argued that ranked-choice voting leads to confusing and unexpected electoral outcomes.
This marks the second consecutive election cycle that opponents of Alaska's election system have attempted to repeal it. A similar initiative narrowly failed on the 2024 ballot. In that instance, early election night tallies also showed the repeal leading before absentee and early votes pushed the anti-repeal side to victory.
Voters expressed varied motivations at the polls, with some citing a desire for transparency in political funding. Ella Wheeles, a student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, explained her opposition to the measure after casting her ballot, stating, "I think it's so important that we know who's funding what and where money comes from, because some of these candidates get money from people who have never been to the state of Alaska, and know nothing about the dynamic and the demographics here."
While complete results remained pending with several ballots left to process, the early trajectory suggested that Alaska would preserve its distinctive electoral system for future cycles.