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Compare Cheney and Murkowski’s Political Fates—It’s All About the Primary

Side-by-side split of Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski

The following is excerpted from an article Sightline senior researcher Jeannette Lee guest-wrote for The Fulcrum.  If you want to know how to save American democracy, look no further than the cases of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The primary elections systems in their states dictated two divergent political fates.  Both … Read more

In Alaska’s Special Election, a Bipartisan Mindset Makes Sense

Sample of a RCV ballot in Alaska

Takeaways Voters in the special general election for Alaska’s US House seat have the power to rank candidates across party lines. Voters can rank a candidate from one party first and their second-place ranking can go to a candidate from another party. Candidates are making subtle appeals to voters from the opposite party and avoiding … Read more

A Guide to Alaska’s August 16 Election

Sample RCV ballot for Alaska's 2022 election

Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google, and Apple. Author’s note: I’ll be updating this article regularly with new information and additional questions we hear from readers. As noted below, I invite questions in the comments section, by email, and on Twitter. August is a big … Read more

A Berry Alaska-Style Election

Editor’s note: Deadline has been extended to Sunday, June 24, at 5:00 p.m. Alaska Time Alaska is using a new way of voting in 2022. Each election will have two steps: a primary election where you choose just one candidate and the general election where you rank the final four candidates.  It’s easy. Here’s a … Read more

Why Alaska’s Top-Four Open Primaries Are Better Than Top-Two

Takeaways Open primary elections are an antidote to extremism. They let all voters, not just a partisan few, choose the candidates who advance to the general election. Open primary elections are an antidote to extremism. They let all voters, not just a partisan few, choose the candidates who advance to the general election. Top-four open … Read more

All You Need to Know About Alaska’s 2022 Special Election

Illustration of a "I Voted" graphic

Author’s note: I’ll be updating this article regularly with new information and additional questions we hear from readers. As noted below, I invite questions in the comments section, by email, and on Twitter. Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google, and Apple. Alaska’s special election is … Read more

Alaska Supreme Court Upholds State’s New Election System

Alaska’s new election system has definitively survived its first court challenge, clearing the way for the 2022 midterms to take place using open primaries and a ranked choice general election. The state Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court ruling that the election reforms, approved by voters in 2020, do not violate the state constitution. Primaries in Alaska, … Read more