Exposed: The Unfair Truth Behind Ranked-Choice Voting

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) has been a disaster for Alaska, and it’s time to get rid of this unfair system. RCV was forced upon us by out-of-state interests and has led to disastrous outcomes. Despite our state being predominantly red, RCV managed to give us a Democrat for our at-large House seat and allowed Lisa Murkowski to fend off a challenge from a Trump-backed candidate.

OPINION: 'Fair' Ranked-Choice Voting Isn't Fair at Allhttps://t.co/mCfdq4VEKN

— RedState (@RedState) November 21, 2023

The system is a mess, with voters having to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, the last-place finisher is eliminated and their votes are redistributed to voters’ second-choice candidates. It’s confusing, cumbersome, and goes against the principles of “one person, one vote.”

But now, we have proof that the promoters of RCV are intentionally deceiving voters. A polling memo obtained by The Federalist shows that they use misleading arguments centered around the idea of fairness to trick voters into accepting this flawed system. They claim that RCV shifts power to voters, ensures equality among all candidates and voters, and empowers independents. But in reality, RCV has only produced unfair outcomes.

Maine’s 2018 elections are a perfect example. Despite the incumbent GOP representative winning the most votes in the first round, he lost to a Democrat due to the state’s ranked-choice voting system. And here in Alaska, we’ve seen similar undesirable outcomes. Democrat Mary Peltola won a special election for our at-large congressional district, even though nearly 60 percent of voters supported a Republican candidate.

RCV is confusing, complicated, and unnecessary. It only serves to give an advantage to candidates who wouldn’t have a chance under a fair system. Alaskans deserve a fair and straightforward election process, not this convoluted mess. It’s time to put an end to ranked-choice voting and return to a system that values simplicity and fairness.