Ballott Measure 2 topic of Anchorage forum

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaskans approved an initiative to establish ranked choice voting in 2020, using it for the first time in 2022.

Now November’s election is bringing the ranking system into question again with Ballot Measure 2. The initial ballot measure replaced the political party primary with an open one, along with implementing a ranking vote. The 2024 Ballot Measure 2 now seeks to repeal the initiative and reinstate partisan primary elections with a single-choice voting system. A vote of “yes” for Ballot Measure 2 would repeal ranked choice voting. A vote of “no” would keep ranked choice voting in place. Sunday, Anchorage voters were invited to attend a forum at the Z.J. Loussac Library – an annual event hosted by Alaska Common Ground in an effort to create civil discussion among Alaskan voters.

The Alaska Common Ground mission statement addresses concern over polarization in Alaska and its communities. Forums like these is part of an effort to allow open discussion, said Dick Mylius, chair of Alaska Common Ground. Mylius said he believes while many people have already made up their minds for this particular ballot measure, voters who are uncertain might make a decision after hearing both sides.

“A lot of times people don’t really know the details of the ballot measures and so the more they learn, the more they’re likely to either vote yes or no,” said Mylius. “We try to do them as neutral as we can give everybody equal chance try to keep as a civil discussion… Some have been in the past more exciting than others. We had one a few years ago when marijuana was on the ballot to legalize marijuana and we had pretty rowdy crowd show up for that, but it was still a civil discussion.”

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