2024 Alaska Measure 2

Alaska Ballot Measure 2 was a ballot initiative that was voted on in the November 5, 2024, general election. The ballot measure narrowly failed to pass.^[1][2]

2024 Alaska Measure 2

November 5, 2024
An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries and Single-Choice General Elections
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 160,124 49.89% No 160,861 50.11%
State House district results Precinct results Yes   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% No   90–100%   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% Other   Tie   No data

If enacted, it would have repealed Alaska's electoral system of ranked-choice voting and nonpartisan blanket primaries, which was enacted by Alaska Measure 2 from 2020, and return the state to partisan primaries and plurality voting.^[3]

Background

The 2020 measure established ranked-choice voting and nonpartisan top-four primaries for all Alaskan state and federal elections except presidential primaries. It passed with a narrow margin of 1%, with supporters of the measure outspending opponents by more than 10 to 1.^[4]

In the 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election, Democrat Mary Peltola won in part due to vote splitting between the two Republicans who had advanced to the general election, Nick Begich III and Sarah Palin.^[5][6] This, along with the nonpartisan primary preventing a primary challenge to centrist Republican senator Lisa Murkowski in 2022, led to Republicans increasingly opposing the new system.^[7]

Supporters of the initiative have said that Alaska's voting system should be repealed due to being confusing and vulnerable to manipulation, while opponents have said that the system should remain in place due to being more inclusive and giving voters more choices.^[3][7]

Opponents of the measure outspent supporters 100 to 1.^[8]

Endorsements

Yes

State senators

• Mike Shower, state senator from district O (2018–present)^[9]

No

Newspapers

• Anchorage Daily News^[10]

American Indian Tribes

• Alaska Federation of Natives^[11]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	For	Against
Alaska Survey Research[b]	January 12–18, 2023	1,397 (RV)	± 3.0%	53%	47%

Results

Results^[12][13]

Choice	Votes	%
For	160,230	49.88
Against	160,973	50.11
Total	321,203	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	610,272	55.8%

See also

• 2024 United States ballot measures
• Ranked-choice voting in the United States

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. Poll asked whether voters would support a hypothetical initiative to repeal ranked choice voting.