False flag operation: Mystery mailer invokes Trump to tell Alaska conservatives to rank only one candidate

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Oct. 12, 2026 — A political mailer reaching Alaska Republicans and conservative undeclared voters invokes President Donald Trump and concerns about election fraud to deliver a message that could weaken Republican chances in the governor’s race: Leave the rest of your ranked-choice ballot blank.

“One person. One vote. One choice,” the flyer declares, beside an illustration showing a filled first-choice oval and crossed-out second, third, and fourth choices.

The reverse side reads: “President Trump is calling out fraud.”

It then claims Alaska elections are “ripe for fraud” and tells recipients: “Trust your first choice. Only vote once.”

The mailing identifies its sponsor as “The Center for Honest Voting” and lists a return address at 2106 House Ave., Suite 980, Cheyenne, Wyoming. The flyer shows no website or telephone number identifying who operates or finances the organization. There is no way to easily uncover who is behind this because of Wyoming’s protective laws.

The flyer has been arriving exclusively at the homes of Republicans and conservative undeclared voters. That suggests a targeted mailing.

Under Alaska’s ranked-choice system, ranking additional candidates does not give a voter multiple simultaneous votes. A second choice is considered only after the first-choice candidate is eliminated. Voters are allowed to rank just one candidate, but doing so can leave them without a vote in the later rounds that determine the winner.

For example, if a voter ranks only one Republican and that candidate is eliminated, the ballot cannot transfer to another Republican still in contention. It becomes inactive in that contest. Votes the person cast in other races remain unaffected.

This means that in a race (such as the governor’s race) where there are three Republicans and one Democrat, a vote could very well die after the first round of counting.

Discouraging backup rankings could reduce the number of ballots available to the Republican who survives into the final round against Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. He is the clear beneficiary of this message being sent to conservatives.

That potential effect raises a question: Is this an effort by opponents to exploit conservative distrust of the easily rigged ranked-choice voting system.

The flyer combines language likely to appeal to Trump supporters with instructions that could work against their preferred party.

The organization’s identity remains another unanswered question.

Exact-name web searches conducted for this article did not locate an organizational website or any established public history for The Center for Honest Voting. A limited online footprint is consistent with a newly created operation.

Wyoming maintains a public business registry, but its official search page presented a verification screen that prevented confirmation during this review.

There is no Alaska Public Offices Commission registration under the group’s name.

APOC states that entities making independent expenditures in candidate elections must identify the true sources of their contributions. But this particular flyer doesn’t mention an actual campaign, so it may be yet another way of slipping through the cracks.

The mailing illustrates how distrust of the ranked-choice system can itself become a tool for influencing an election: Encourage voters to reject additional rankings, and their ballots may stop participating before the decisive round.

The practical consequence is clear: A voter who follows the flyer’s instructions may help elect a first-choice candidate. If that candidate is eliminated, the voter gives up any say among the candidates who remain.

Who paid to deliver that message to Alaska conservatives — and why — deserves an answer. The operation appears to be clever because it influences who will win without saying it directly. The candidate who most benefits from this operation is JKT, the Democrat running for governor against three Republicans, who have all publicly stated they do want people to rank them.