Jeannette Lee
Jeannette Lee was Sightline's Alaska Research Director, based in Anchorage and focused on democracy and housing issues. Prior to Sightline, Jeannette consulted at the Adaptation Fund and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and worked as a federal natural gas researcher. She was also a business and policy journalist for The Associated Press in Alaska and Hawai'i, Atlantic Media Company in Washington, DC, and the former Alaska Dispatch News (previously and currently the Anchorage Daily News). Jeannette earned her BA in history from Yale University and her MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where she focused on economics and Arctic energy and climate issues. Jeannette is very pro-noncontiguous states, having moved to Alaska in 2005 from her home state of Hawai'i. She spends many hours trying to be a decent cross-country skier, mountain biker, and gardener. Find her research here.
Jeannette Lee
Jeannette Lee
Latest articles
Three Ways Anchorage Leaders Could Unlock More Homes
Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple. $524,000. That’s ...
The ordinances under consideration offer commonsense solutions to address the city’s longstanding housing shortage.
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Alaskans Keep Their Model Election System
Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple. Alaska voters ...
The open primaries and ranked choice voting that have delivered more representation for independents and moderate Republicans survived a repeal effort.
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What’s Different in Alaska Since Election Laws Changed
How Alaskans have responded to nonpartisan open primaries and ranked choice voting.
How Alaskans have responded to nonpartisan open primaries and ranked choice voting.
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Despite Candidate Dropouts, Alaska Elections Are Becoming More Competitive
A dozen candidates removed themselves from 2024’s general election, but voters still have plenty to choose from.
A dozen candidates removed themselves from 2024’s general election, but voters still have plenty to choose from.
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A Guide to Alaska’s November 2024 Election
Authors’ note: We’ll be updating this FAQ regularly with new information and additional questions we hear from readers. We invite ...
Ranked choice voting for president and other offices, plus deciding on whether to keep open primaries and ranked choice voting.
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Open Primaries and Ranked Choice Voting Strengthened Moderate Republicans in Alaska’s Legislature
Fewer hardliners won office, leading to an overwhelmingly bipartisan Senate majority, a hard-fought win on education funding, and the ability to neutralize culture warriors.
Fewer hardliners won office, leading to an overwhelmingly bipartisan Senate majority, a hard-fought win on education funding, and the ability to neutralize culture warriors.
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Voter participation jumped when Alaska opened its primaries
Takeaways Low voter turnout in primary elections is the default across the country, but Republicans, Democrats, independents, and third-party voters ...
2022 turnout for every candidate contest reached a decade high.
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Nonpartisan Open Primaries Let Alaskans Choose Values Over Party
More than half of voters in the 2022 midterm primaries split their tickets between candidates from across the political spectrum.
More than half of voters in the 2022 midterm primaries split their tickets between candidates from across the political spectrum.
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Lawmakers Across the Political Spectrum Should Help More Alaskans Vote
Takeaways In Alaska, Republicans, independents, and Democrats vote at about the same middling rates. That means laws aimed at making ...
A host of laws to make voting easier would benefit Independent, Republican, and Democratic constituents.
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Anchorage Removes Barriers to Small Multifamily Homes
Takeaways Leaders in Alaska’s largest city just freed triplex and fourplex homes from a slew of regulatory barriers that made ...
City leaders take another step toward allowing more new homes, in more sizes and varying price points, in Alaska’s largest city.
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Recent Reforms Could Make a Real Neighborhood of Downtown Anchorage
Takeaways The Anchorage Assembly passed reforms earlier this year that make changes to downtown zoning code, bringing the city closer ...
A vibrant downtown needs residents. And residents need housing. Convenience stores wouldn’t hurt either.
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A Fairer Election System in Alaska Helped More Independents Win Office
Open primaries and ranked choice voting likely led to greater political diversity in the Alaska legislature, while their effect on age, gender, and race was less apparent.
Open primaries and ranked choice voting likely led to greater political diversity in the Alaska legislature, while their effect on age, gender, and race was less apparent.
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