The outcome of the proposal will be determined by a five-day trial starting on June 24, followed by a final ruling from Judge Rankin.
Alaskans may have the opportunity to vote on whether to keep or scrap their ranked-choice voting system in November. The system was introduced in 2020 and implemented in 2022.
Opponents of ranked-choice voting had gathered petition booklets to meet the requirements for placing a repeal measure on the November ballot. After some issues with the booklets were addressed by election officials, supporters of ranked-choice voting filed a lawsuit in April, alleging that the Division of Elections in Alaska incorrectly certified the measure.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys argued that the signature booklets should have been invalidated, which would have led to a lack of signatures for the measure to progress to a November vote.
Judge Christina Rankin stated in her ruling that election officials were right to allow petitioners to address issues with the petition booklets.
The judge noted that minor amendments to the petitions could still be accepted after the deadline, as has been the practice based on directives from the Division of Elections since 2015, deeming these minor corrections legally permissible.
Related Stories
Ranked-choice voting allows voters to select their preferred candidate from all candidates on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Voters can also choose their second, third, and subsequent choices. If a candidate receives over 50 percent of the votes, they win. If not, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated, and those ballots are transferred to the candidate chosen as the second preference. This process continues until only two candidates remain, with the winner being the one with the most votes.
Advocates of ranked-choice voting argue that it provides voters with more options, especially those who are not affiliated with any party. Opponents claim that it harms both major and minor parties by preventing them from appearing on the ballot. They believe that party members should be responsible for selecting their candidate instead.
If ranked-choice voting is discontinued, voters would return to selecting just one candidate on their ballot.
In her ruling, Judge Rankin emphasized that the right to collect petition signatures is supported by the state.
Furthermore, the Anchorage Superior judge declared that the argument presented by the plaintiffs constitutes “exactly the type of technical rule violation that justifies applying the constitutional principle of interpreting legislative procedures in favor of placing initiatives on the ballot.”
The judge indicated that she would allow the plaintiffs to present further arguments based on expert testimony, which may highlight other discrepancies related to the signature-gathering process.
During a five-day trial commencing on June 24, the expert will address these issues, with a final ruling from Judge Rankin expected by July 19. An appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court is anticipated.
Meanwhile, opposition to ranked-choice voting is increasing in other states, although several states are moving towards implementing this voting method. The Colorado Supreme Court recently ruled that an initiative focused on transitioning to ranked-choice voting can begin collecting signatures, potentially making it onto the November ballot.
From NTD News
Please rewrite this sentence.
Source link
