Ranked Choice Voting Explained | Anchorage News

0:00So, in Alaska, they've got this ranked choice voting system ranked, and a lot of folks are just picking one candidate and calling it a day. They call it bullet voting. Back in 2022, about 40% of voters did this, but then, in 2024, that number jumped up to 60%. That means a huge chunk of people aren't actually using the full power of their ballot. The deal with ranked choice is that it's like an instant runoff. If your first pick gets knocked out, your vote can still count for your second choice. But if you only picked one, and they lose, your ballot is done, it's exhausted. It's like showing up to the party, but then leaving early. Now, you might think this means ranked choice isn't working, or that Alaskans aren't getting in. But advocates say people do rank when it really matters, like when there are two similar candidates facing off against the different one. In those situations, fewer people are just bully voting. Also, sometimes ranking just isn't that important. If your candidate is a shoe-in-to-win, then who you rank second doesn't really change

1:03the outcome. Think about a presidential election. If you voted for the top two candidates, your second choice probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. But here's the kicker. Even if you hate ranked choice, it's still in your best interest to rank. Ranking your choices doesn't hurt your first pick at all. It only comes into play if your favorite candidate is eliminated. So if you have any preference between the other candidates, even a slight one, it's worth marking it down. It costs you nothing but a few seconds. That wraps Anchorage News today. Brought to you with AI.