Alaska's Election Overhaul: Ballot Fight Over Ranked Choice Voting

0:00It's April 4th. I'm Cory with the story. This is Anchorage News Today, driven by AI. Alaska's election overhaul from 2020 is back in the spotlight with a fresh ballot fight. A group called repeal now wants voters to scrap the open primaries, top four ranked choice voting, and new campaign finance rules. There are initiative aims to bring back partisan primaries and simple pick one general elections, and it's headed to ballots later this year after a close. Both sides have sued the division of elections over the ballot wording multiple times. It started with certification in December under a title about restoring primaries and finance rules. Supporters of the current system challenged it in January leading to a tweak in February that dropped the restore language. Fans of ranked choice voting argue elites to moderate picks and gives power to independence, who are most of Alaska's voters. Critics often tie to the GOP, claim it muddles things and sidelines party loyalists.

1:00Repeal, now fired back with their own suit, pushing for mention of ranked choice voting, which got added on March 11th. But that sparked another challenge from a poem in saying it's still biased and misses key details like the single primary ballot for all. Now a judge has merged the cases into one last Friday and urged mediation. With a ruling eye for June, this wording battle could shape how voters see the repeal push come election time.