David vs Goliath in Alaska
by Harry Roth
Alaskans are just a few weeks away from deciding the fate of ranked-choice voting. And unlike in 2020, when ranked-choice voting advocates used deceptive wording to trick voters, the repeal measure language is clear.
The Alaska Beacon reports that Ballot Measure 2 raised $120,000, while the pro-RCV campaign, “No on Measure 2,” raised a stunning $12,000,000. A loss in Alaska would be a devastating blow to the RCV movement, so it’s no wonder they’re doing everything they can to save their broken system.
Most of the “No” campaign’s war chest comes from out-of-state donors (surprise, surprise). The majority is from only three donors: Article Four, Unite America, and Action Now Initiative. These are the same groups that support most pro-ranked choice voting measures in the country. And of course, we can’t forget the $250,000 that came from Katherine Gehl’s Final Five Fund.
The amount of money pouring in to save RCV is daunting, but Phil Izon, who led the repeal effort, had this to say about the situation:
“We had public testimony over two days, and we had the public in favor of repeal/removal of Ranked Choice Voting by 67% both days; there are other polls that have the repeal/removal favored to win by 60-65%. Overall, I believe we will win. I believe we will know on election night, and as long as we get more than 51% of the voters, which is very likely, Ranked Choice Voting will fall to a plurality election. how poetic.”
The battle of the underdog is a tale as old as time. Just like when Apple beat IBM and revolutionized the personal computer or when Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson and won the heavyweight title. An everyday Alaskan is taking on out-of-state billionaires, trying to save his state from the perils of ranked-choice voting.