Alaskans for Better Elections
Group defending Alaska's open primaries and ranked-choice elections against repeal votes.
Alaska's Senate race goes to a ranked-choice tabulation on 18 November under the system the group built, with Dan J. Sullivan's 4,027 first choices in play; a second repeal of that system led No 53% to 47% on FairVote's 11 November count.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026
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The group backed Ballot Measure 2 in 2020, which created Alaska's open top-four primary and ranked-choice general elections. If no general-election candidate passes half, the last-placed are dropped and their ballots move to each voter's next choice. A 2024 repeal measure failed by fewer than 750 votes.
A second repeal went to voters on 3 November 2026. In January the group challenged its ballot wording as not impartial, and the Alaska Supreme Court heard that case on 25 August. On FairVote's preliminary count on 11 November, No on repeal led by 53% to 47%.
The repeal result and the Senate tabulation on 18 November both test the system the group built.
Ranking meets a namesake candidate
Alaska's 10 November release gave Mary Peltola a 4,250 first-choice lead over Senator Dan S. Sullivan, while Dan J. Sullivan, the retired Petersburg teacher who shares the senator's name, held 4,027. Should nobody pass half, the 18 November tabulation eliminates the trailing names and transfers their ballots to each voter's next choice.
The group argues that ranking softens namesake confusion. A voter who marked Dan J. Sullivan first by mistake but ranked the senator second still reaches the senator once the namesake is eliminated. The Alaska Supreme Court had reinstated the namesake to the August primary ballot.
Reference
How does ranked-choice voting handle the two Dan Sullivans?
Who is behind Alaska's ranked-choice voting system?
Did Alaska vote to repeal ranked-choice voting in 2026?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.