By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 17, 2026 – One of the state’s most uniquely Alaskan-style Independence Day traditions is getting a political twist this year.
The citizen group Repeal Now, which is leading the effort to overturn Alaska’s ranked choice voting system, announced it will sponsor a vehicle in the annual Glacier View Car Launch on July 4, where the car will be painted and branded as a rolling symbol of ranked choice voting before being sent over the event’s famous 300-foot cliff.
Let’s get ready to RUBBLE!!!🚘
This is better than any fair derby hands down.
Glacier View Car Launch, Alaska. Every 4th of July🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vkPs2XDlZk— Bobbi (@kittenaround_51) April 24, 2026
According to event materials released by the group, the vehicle will be launched under the banner “Launch RCV Off a Cliff!” during the annual celebration at Glacier View, located along the Glenn Highway near Sutton.
The flyer invites supporters to attend the event, which begins at 2 pm but runs throughout the day at the Glacier View River Retreat.
The Glacier View Car Launch has become one of Alaska’s best-known Fourth of July attractions. What started in 2005 as an unconventional way to dispose of a moose-damaged Volvo has evolved into a major Independence Day gathering that draws thousands of spectators from across Alaska and beyond.
Instead of relying on fireworks, which are often less visible during Alaska’s long summer daylight hours, organizers send junk cars, trucks, vans, and other vehicles hurtling off a towering bluff overlooking a quarry below. The vehicles are often decorated with patriotic themes, humorous messages, or sponsor logos before taking their final flight.
Over the years, spectators have watched everything from pickup trucks and minivans to boats, snowmachines, and even a stretch limousine launched into the valley below. The event sells out and thousands of people attend, often walking a mile from the nearest parking spot. It’s like a big community block party.
For Repeal Now, the symbolism is obvious.
The group has spent the past several years campaigning against Alaska’s election system, which was adopted through Ballot Measure 2 in 2020. The system combines a jungle top-four primary with ranked-choice voting in the general election.
The system is confusing, expensive, and weakens traditional party primaries. It has led to shenanigans such as a Daniel J. Sullivan from Petersburg switching his party affiliation and running for US Senate in an attempt to confuse voters.
The debate has remained one of the most contentious political issues in Alaska since the system won on the ballot by less than 800 votes and was first used in statewide elections in 2022.
Now, with repeal advocates reinvigorating their organizing efforts, the Glacier View event offers a highly visible platform for the movement’s message.
On July 4, one vehicle representing Alaska’s messed-up election system will join dozens of others in a brief flight that ends with a spectacular crash, one that is cheered on by thousands of Alaskans celebrating Independence Day in a way that could only happen in Alaska.
The Glacier View Car Launch will take place at Glacier View River Retreat near Mile 99 of the Glenn Highway. Tickets and event information are available at the event website.
For Repeal Now, the message is simple: If ranked choice voting is headed anywhere, they’d like to see it headed straight off the cliff.
More about Ranked-Choice Voting here:
6 thoughts on “Repeal Now ready to send ranked-choice voting off a cliff — literally”
Stuff the cars full of Democrats first, THEN, let roll over the cliff. See owner’s manual for details.
That already happened in 2024 when they put Joe in the drivers seat then right before the edge they did a Chinese fire drill and Kamala got the Thelma and Louise ride of her life.
Might be a pollution issue there…
Certainly not the car. But the contents in the car should summon an EPA Superfund.
Gimmick over substance.
Good Alaskan fun! We would love to be there , but we are invloved the festivities here in Homer.