OPINION: Ranked choice voting and open primaries diminish political party control. That’s great for Alaska.

What Alaska has, it has a lot of. The Last Frontier has a lot of land, natural beauty, natural resources, mosquitoes and bright, independent people. Living in the Last Frontier is not for the faint of heart nor for the weak. We have never been a fearful people. Tough winters demand tougher people. Glorious summers beckon us to soak in every moment.

Here, we must grasp every opportunity in order to make the best of circumstances, to make it better for our children and our communities. In the election this November, we have an opportunity to do just that.

Four years ago, Alaskans who wanted to improve our election process passed the open primary and ranked choice voting election reform. A majority of Alaska voters approved this measure as a way to increase competition and improve representation by expanding the field of candidates. It ended the domination of candidate selection by the two parties, and it placed the authority of candidate selection where it belongs: with Alaska’s people. Gone are artificial barriers. Gone are gatekeepers.

It’s like going from a one-dog sled to a full team, or graduating from a .22-caliber rifle to a full hunting rifle. Or advancing from a spin rod to a fly rod (a little slack, please; I once was a grayling guide). Or taking the training wheels off your election bicycle. Fewer than 40% of Alaskans are registered as either Republicans or Democrats, and this important election reform ensures that independent-minded Alaskans have a voice as well. Remember, we the people — not they the parties — get to decide who we want to represent us.

Will it take some personal investment to research each candidate? You betcha. But Alaskans are not sheep blindly following what the parties tell them. I am awestruck by the number of amazing people who have the courage to step forward for voter consideration. The undecided, unaffiliated, undeclared and others now have candidates listed who share their love of Alaska. As a bonus, traditional party voters have a field with their party champions while being able to explore other options. Why would any Alaskan want to disenfranchise another fellow Alaskan?

I believe the possibility that the parties might no longer have the ability to control who is on the ballot scares the two biggest private political party organizations. California’s Democrat governor, Gavin Newsom, and Colorado’s Democrat governor, Jared Polis, have both opposed RCV in their respective states. It doesn’t take a political science graduate to see who fears the open primary and RCV here in Alaska. Whoever would have thought Democrat governors Polis and Newsom would have something in common with these fearful Alaskans?

The fact that both private political organizations are opposed to open primaries and RCV should be a red flag for us all. Using predictable plays from their worn-out playbook, they use fear to shape emotions toward a more party-favorable outcome. Resist this fear. Be encouraged that, for the first time in many decades, we the voters have options beyond what is spoon-fed to us from the two parties. With RCV, we have the opportunity to bravely vote our conscience first and, afterward, vote pragmatically if we so choose. Now, our votes really can make a difference. The training wheels have come off!

Remember that glorious moment when you sped off on a bicycle for the first time — wind blowing in your hair, dogs barking as you flew by, mosquitoes smashing into your grinning face. This is your moment of control, your moment of decision. Embrace it. I encourage you to vote no on this ballot measure that would replace you, the Alaska voter, with a party gatekeeper. Keep your electoral independence alive. Tell the two parties and their gatekeepers who promote the “lesser of two evils” that their time is over. Please be brave and vote no on Ballot Measure 2.

Chris Bye is a U.S. Army veteran who served for 20 years, deploying multiple times and spending much of his career at Fort Wainwright. In 2022, he ran for Congress in Alaska as a Libertarian and advanced to the final-four RCV general election. He and his wife, Samantha, have four wonderful children. He is an avid fly fisherman and loves to share his fishing addiction with others.

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