By Suzanne Downing 
It was a festive scene at the Alaska Division of Elections Thursday as more than 48,000 signatures were delivered in a bright display of civic enthusiasm — complete with music, dancing, and even a symbolic dump truck to “dump” ranked-choice voting.
Volunteers from the Mat-Su, Soldotna, and Anchorage areas joined a mini parade to mark the milestone, celebrating months of coordinated effort under the “Repeal Now” banner. The group turned in 481 petition booklets, a total that far surpasses the 34,098 valid signatures required to qualify a citizen initiative for the 2026 ballot.
The three co-sponsors of the initiative – Judy Eledge, Ken McCarthy, and initiative manager Bethany Marcum – were on hand as Division of Elections staff performed a preliminary count. Organizers praised the Division for its professionalism and helpfulness throughout the signature-gathering process.
The Division of Elections will now verify the signatures and confirm that the statutory geographic distribution requirements have been met, ensuring sufficient signatures from at least 30 of the state’s 40 House districts.
If the measure is certified, Alaskans will once again vote on whether to keep or repeal the ranked-choice system adopted in 2020 and used in the 2022 elections. That system, combining a jungle primary and ranked-choice general election, has been divisive since its inception. Critics argue it confuses voters and dilutes accountability, while supporters claim it promotes “consensus” candidates.
A similar repeal measure narrowly failed in 2024 by fewer than 800 votes. Repeal advocates say this new drive reflects growing frustration among voters and renewed energy to restore a simpler, more transparent process.
Once verification is complete, the lieutenant governor will certify whether the initiative qualifies for the 2026 general election ballot, setting the stage for one of the state’s most closely watched political battles in years.
I hope that woke Anchorage voters do not derail this effort.
It’s not just Los Anchorage. People from all across the state think RCV is a good idea. They’re wrong of course, but the disease is widespread.
If you have a process for voting that requires you to publish how-to articles, ‘here’s your sign’. The changes in the voting process in Alaska are a perfect illustration of how people can screw up even the simplest tasks. When I vote, I know who I want to win. I have no desire to support anyone else. With ranked choice voting, any candidate can hijack a person’s vote. It is such a convoluted mess, I don’t see how it can be valid. It just further obscures an already questionable election process. I miss the days when a person could vote and at the end of the day, an announcement was made as to who won. We didn’t even have all the automation back then. What we had was common sense with a generous dose of honesty.