Alaskans to vote in ranked-choice U.S. House election as they decide whether to repeal ranked-choice-voting system

Welcome to the Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, Brew.

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Alaskans to vote in ranked-choice U.S. House election as they decide whether to repeal ranked-choice-voting system
2. 50 states in 25 days – Pennsylvania and Iowa
3. Stateline’s Matt Vasilogambros and KFF’s Julie Rovner join this week’s On the Ballot episodes to discuss noncitizen voting and abortion ballot measures

Alaskans to vote in ranked-choice U.S. House election as they also decide on a measure that would repeal the system’s use in future elections

With 26 days to go until the Fall election, we’ll be bringing you coverage of the most compelling elections — the battlegrounds we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive. You can catch our previous coverage of other battleground races here.

Today, we’re looking at the general election for Alaska’s At-Large Congressional District on Nov. 5. Incumbent Mary Peltola (D), Eric Hafner (D), Nicholas Begich (R), and John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party) are running. Peltola and Begich lead in polling, fundraising, and local media attention.

Election background and Alaska’s voting system

Since voters approved the state’s voting system in 2020, Alaska has used top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting in general elections for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices. Under ranked-choice voting, voters rank the candidates on the ballot in order of preference rather than voting for one candidate. If no candidate has more than 50% of the first-choice vote, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated, and votes are tallied again, with the eliminated candidates’ votes redistributed to their voters’ next choice. The process repeats until one candidate receives over 50% of the vote.

In the Aug. 16, 2022 special election, Peltola defeated Begich and Sarah Palin (R) with 51.5% of the vote in the final round of ranked-choice voting. In the general election on Nov. 8, 2022, Peltola defeated Palin 55% to 45% in the final round.

A closer look at the candidates

Peltola and Begich were the top two finishers in the top-four primary on Aug. 20. Howe and Hafner were the fifth- and sixth-place finishers and advanced to the general election after Nancy Dahlstrom (R) and Matthew Salisbury (R) dropped out of the race.

Dahlstrom, the current lieutenant governor, received 19.9% of the primary vote and had an endorsement from former President Donald Trump (R). In a statement announcing her withdrawal, Dahlstrom said she “entered this race because Alaskans deserve better representation than what we have received from Mary Peltola in Washington…At this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal realized is to withdraw my name from the general election ballot and end my campaign.” Salisbury received 0.6% of the primary vote. In an interview with The Alaska Beacon, Salisbury said multiple factors contributed to his decision to withdraw, including a meeting with Begich in which he said the candidates “were able to align some of our views, especially the big ones where I really wanted to see change enacted, especially on bottom trawling.”

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled against the Democratic Party of Alaska on Sept. 12, allowing Hafner to remain on the ballot. The party argued that Hafner, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence and has never resided in Alaska, is ineligible to take office. In the ruling, the court found that Hafner met the requirements to file as a candidate even if he had not met the requirements to take office, concluding that there was “no basis under Alaska law or otherwise to challenge a candidate preemptively under constitutional grounds.”

Peltola, who was the first Democrat elected to represent Alaska in the U.S. House since 1972, is a former state legislator, development manager, and fisherwoman. Peltola says she has “worked with our bipartisan delegation to bring home projects that will strengthen the permanent fund, preserve our fisheries, lower our energy costs, and create high-paying union jobs for regular Alaskans.”

Begich founded a software development firm and a technology-focused investment group. Begich says he is running because “Washington is broken: lost opportunities for Alaskans, a focus on so many of the wrong priorities, big government lobbyists and insiders who are selling our nation to the highest bidder, and a President who often can’t find his own way off a stage.”

According to the most recent reporting available from the Federal Election Commission as of Oct. 9, Peltola had raised $7,541,674, and Begich had raised $1,000,590. As of Oct. 8, four major election forecasters rated the election a Toss-up.

Alaska’s At-large Congressional District is one of 37 congressional districts with a Democratic incumbent or an open seat that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is targeting in 2024. Peltola is also one of 31 incumbents receiving support through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) Frontline Program for vulnerable incumbents.

Alaska is one of six states with an at-large congressional district. All 435 U.S. House seats are up for election in 2024. Republicans have a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.

Ranked-choice voting ballot measure

In addition to this November’s congressional election, voters will also decide on a ballot measure that would repeal the state’s use of ranked-choice voting and top-four primaries. If the measure passes, future elections will have partisan primaries and plurality voting in both the primary and general elections, as they did before voters approved the 2020 measure.

The measure is one of a record number of statewide ballot measures regarding ranked-choice voting happening this year. As of Oct. 9, six statewide ballot measures on ranked-choice voting were certified in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Oregon. From 1965 through 2023, there were six statewide ballot measures on ranked-choice voting in four states. Of those, voters approved four and rejected two.

For a list of current and historical ranked-choice voting ballot measures, click here.

50 states in 25 days – Pennsylvania and Iowa

Continuing our 50 states in 25 days coverage, today, we will look at what’s on the ballot in Pennsylvania and Iowa. Yesterday, we gave readers a look at what voters in Georgia and Wyoming can expect to see on their ballots. With 16 business days between now and the final Friday before the election, let’s continue looking into what’s on the ballot across the nation.

Pennsylvania

Let’s take a look at Pennsylvania’s elections. Here are some key dates and deadlines.

• The deadline for registering in person, by mail, and online is Oct. 21. The deadline for in-mail registration is a receipt deadline. Early voting start dates vary, and early voting ends Oct. 29.
• All polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Everyone in line when polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here.

Here’s what is on the ballot:

• Voters will elect one U.S. Senator and 17 U.S. Representatives. There are no open congressional districts in Pennsylvania.
• Three state executive offices are up for election: attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer. All three offices are contested​​.
• All 203 seats in the state House and 25 of 50 seats in the state Senate are up for election. There are 13 open seats in the state House and three in the Senate.
• Local ballot measures will be on the ballot in Chester County. Ballotpedia is covering local ballot measures that appear on the ballot for voters within the 100 largest cities in the U.S.

Iowa

Now, let’s check out Iowa’s elections, starting with some key dates and deadlines.

• The deadline for registering in person, by mail, and online is Oct. 21. The deadline for in-mail registration is a receipt deadline. Early voting begins Oct. 16 and ends Nov. 4.
• All polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. Everyone in line when polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here.

Here’s what is on the ballot:

• Voters will elect four U.S. Representatives. All four incumbents are running for re-election.
• All 100 seats in the state House and 25 seats in the state Senate are up for election. There are 13 open seats in the state House and four in the state Senate.
• One seat on the Iowa Supreme Court and four seats on the Iowa Intermediate Appellate Court are up for retention elections.
• Two statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the November ballot. Both measures are legislatively referred constitutional amendments.

Want to learn more about the elections you’ll be voting in this year? Click here to use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool!

Make sure to check our hub page, linked below, for future installments of the series.

Stateline’s Matt Vasilogambros and KFF’s Julie Rovner join this week’s On the Ballot episodes to discuss noncitizen voting and abortion ballot measures

This week, we’re sharing two of our most recent podcast episodes: one on noncitizen voting measures and a second on abortion-related measures.

In the first episode, Podcast Producer Frank Festa interviews Stateline’s Matt Vasilogambros and Ballots Managing Editor Ryan Byrne about this year’s record number of ballot measures to ban noncitizen voting in state and local elections.

First, Festa and Vasilogambros discuss where and in what situations noncitizen voting is legal, when it has been allowed in American history, and the arguments for and against it. Then, Festa and Byrne discuss this year’s eight statewide ballot measures and how this number compares to previous years.

In the second episode, Festa interviews Ballotpedia Staff Writer Nicole Fisher and KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner about this year’s record number of abortion-related ballot measures.

Festa and Fisher discuss the 11 measures certified for the November ballot. Then Rovner joins Festa to look at how abortion messaging has evolved since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the latest related to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment policy, and how federal lawmakers could try to regain control over the issue.

Subscribe to On the Ballot on YouTube or your preferred podcast app to learn more about noncitizen voting and abortion ballot measures. These episodes are available now.