Alaska Supreme Court hears arguments in case seeking to keep ranked-choice elimination off the ballot

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court will hear a case Thursday that will determine whether a measure to overturn the state's new open primary and ranked-choice voting system should remain on the ballot for the November general election.

The parties, who are arguing the case in Anchorage, are seeking a decision from the state Supreme Court by Sept. 3.

Three voters who sued to block the measure are seeking to bar it from the ballot, challenging Judge Christina Rankin's June ruling that the state Board of Elections met deadlines and acted within its authority when it allowed supporters of the repeal measure to correct errors in the petition booklets even after they were submitted.

Rankin, in a later decision, found that the collection of signatures by the supporters of abolition was improper and disqualified those pamphlets, but the appeal focuses on the deadline issues.

To get an initiative on the ballot, signatures must be collected. People who distribute petition brochures must prove they meet certain requirements and have their affidavits notarized or certified.

The election board found deficiencies in more than 60 petition booklets – most of them involving a person whose notary license had expired – and began notifying the initiatives' sponsors of the deficiencies on Jan. 18, six days after the petitions were filed, prosecutors and plaintiffs said.

Sponsors of the repeal petition ultimately returned 62 corrected pamphlets before the department completed its signature count in March. Lawyers for both sides have said that if the 62 pamphlets were discarded, the petition would not meet the signature requirements for the ballot.

The 2020 initiative replaced party primaries with open primaries and introduced ranked-choice voting for the general election. Under the open primary system, voters are asked to select one candidate per race, with the four candidates with the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, advancing to the general election.

The new system was first used in 2022 and will be used again in this year's elections. Many of this year's parliamentary elections have had fewer than four candidates in the primaries.

Supporters of ranked-choice voting say it gives voters more choice and rewards candidates who appeal to a larger portion of the electorate. Opponents say it is confusing and leads voters to evaluate candidates they don't necessarily support.