Alaska election officials accused of illegally certifying ballot question on ranked choice voting in lawsuit

Alaskans For Honest Elections recently held a ballot initiative petition signing event at a South Anchorage church to reject ranked choice voting in Alaska elections. Three Alaska voters have filed a complaint against the state Division of Elections, claiming that it violated state law by certifying a ballot measure seeking to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries. The complaint alleges that the signature petition drive was conducted illegally, disqualifying thousands of signatures and failing to meet requirements.

The Division of Elections, Director Carol Beecher, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom are named as the defendants in the case. The complaint, filed in Anchorage Superior Court, argues that the ballot group intentionally violated the law and the Division of Elections unlawfully allowed improper notarization of signature booklets. Critics of ranked choice voting claim that it disadvantages political parties and is confusing for voters, while supporters say it reduces hyper-partisanship and broadens candidate appeal.

The complaint details allegations of signature booklets being left unattended and improperly notarized, leading to the submission of invalid signatures in support of the petition. The plaintiffs have asked the court to invalidate these signatures and declare that the petition did not meet the required signature count. The complaint also references previous violations of campaign finance reporting statutes by leaders of the ballot group.

The plaintiffs involved in the complaint are advocating to nullify the ballot measure on the 2024 general election ballot that aims to repeal Alaska’s current voting system. The Division of Elections is reviewing the complaint, and a decision is pending on the validity of the signatures submitted for the petition.

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