Alaska Candidates Clash Over Ranked Choice Voting Before Nov. 3

Alaska's debate over ranked choice voting is intensifying ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, election, as supporters and opponents dispute how the system affects voter participation, candidate selection and Republican chances in the gubernatorial race. Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the state's current election system, while Gov. Mike Dunleavy is encouraging voters to rank multiple Republican candidates.

The dispute centers on Alaska's open primary system and ranked choice voting in general elections. An Oct. 27 opinion article published by the Anchorage Daily News argued that the system complicates ballot access, counting and voter understanding, while coverage from Alaska's News Source on Oct. 22 documented Republican candidates coordinating their message around ranked voting.

Under Alaska's current system, voters select candidates in an open primary, with the leading qualifying candidates advancing to the general election. Ranked choice voting then allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, with counting rounds determining the winner when no candidate secures the required majority of active ballots in the initial round.

The Anchorage Daily News opinion writer cited unusual candidacies as examples of weaknesses in the system. The article noted that a New York prisoner serving a 20-year sentence appeared on Alaska's 2024 general election ballot for the U.S. House and that a candidate sharing the name of Sen. Dan Sullivan advanced from the August 2026 primary to the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The opinion also argued that Alaska's pre-2020 Republican primary allowed independent voters registered as nonpartisan or undeclared to participate. It maintained that Ballot Measure 2 would restore a system in which voters could choose which major-party primary to enter while members of other parties would be excluded from that primary.

The writer further criticized ranked choice voting for requiring multiple counting rounds and said ballots can become inactive when voters' remaining ranked candidates are eliminated. The opinion claimed that thousands of Alaskans have ballots that are not counted in the final round, presenting this as a concern about voter representation. These statements reflect the author's position in an opinion article rather than an independently established finding.

In the gubernatorial race, Dunleavy has avoided endorsing a successor and instead urged Republican voters to rank all three Republican contenders. Speaking at a rally for President Donald Trump in Wasilla the previous week, the governor emphasized participation and ranking multiple candidates.

“We need to vote for all three,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said.

Dunleavy explained that he wanted voters to support the Republican candidates collectively rather than divide their support among them. The state's Republican Party had not endorsed any of the three candidates, according to Alaska's News Source.

“I need you guys to get out and vote. It’s very, very important,” Dunleavy said to the rally crowd.

He continued by urging attendees to rank each Republican candidate, arguing that doing so was necessary for the party's chances under the existing voting system.

“You need to get out and vote for your governor candidates. There are three of them. I need you to vote for each one of them. Ranked choice voting has forced this on our shoulders and the only way we’re going to win is if we all vote for the Republican candidates for governor and that’s very important,” Dunleavy said.

Trump, meanwhile, endorsed Bernadette Wilson, the leading Republican vote-getter in the primary. His endorsement was issued shortly before Dunleavy appeared at the rally, according to Alaska's News Source.

“Bernadette Wilson is outstanding,” Trump said in a social media post.

Trump argued that the other Republican candidates could divide support that Wilson would otherwise receive.

“She will make a GREAT Governor. She easily won the Race, and all Bronson and Taylor will do is take away Votes from the Candidate that has, by far, the best chance of winning,” Trump said.

Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former Attorney General Treg Taylor have encouraged Republicans to rank all three Republican candidates. Their campaigns jointly sponsored an advertisement titled “Rank 1,2,3, not JKT,” referring to Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.

“If you only vote one Republican, your vote can be exhausted — thrown away entirely,” Bronson said in the advertisement.

Bronson's campaign presented ranking multiple candidates as a way to keep Republican ballots active if a voter's first choice is eliminated during counting.

“Don’t let your ballot die early. Fill out every Republican line,” Bronson said.

Wilson previously said that her preferred outcome would be for Bronson and Taylor to leave the race. However, she supported their decision to encourage voters to rank the Republican candidates if all three remained in contention.

“If there continue to be three active Republicans in this race, ranking is clearly the right choice, and we also strongly encourage conservatives to do so,” Wilson said.

Kreiss-Tomkins, who has framed his campaign as a referendum on Dunleavy, has urged voters to rank him first while also encouraging supporters of other candidates to include him in their rankings.

“Dunleavy has encouraged voters to rank all three candidates, and we appreciate his support for that approach,” Bronson said in a campaign statement.

Taylor's campaign also backed the governor's approach to ranking candidates, stating, “We agree with the Governor, rank all three Republican gubernatorial candidates!”

The gubernatorial contest and the repeal proposal are scheduled to come before Alaska voters on Nov. 3, 2026. The competing arguments place the state's election rules and the role of ranked choice voting at the center of the campaign.