OPINION: The business case for voting no on Ballot Measure 2

Did you know ranked choice voting was first introduced in Alaska more than two decades ago, with a 2002 initiative — sponsored by the Republican Party? Fast forward to 2020, and both major parties — Republicans and Democrats — opposed the system we have now. The Republican co-chair of the opposition campaign was Sean Parnell, and Mark Begich led the Democratic side. Now, in 2024, the Democrats seem to support open primaries and ranked-choice voting, and the Republicans are against it. It just goes to show how fickle party positions can be.

As a former legislator, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges and dysfunction that can occur when our election system prioritizes party politics over voter choice.

I served in the Legislature during one of the most dysfunctional periods in Alaska’s recent history, the 31st Legislature. It took 31 days for us to even organize, with 23 Republicans, 16 Democrats and one independent unable to come together.

For more than a month, nothing got done because we didn’t have a Speaker of the House. No committee meetings, no leadership, nothing. After a long stalemate, some of us negotiated a solution, and we eventually passed a balanced budget. But this dysfunction, caused by a closed, partisan election system, wasted valuable time and resources. And that wasn’t the first time.

From 2006 until 2022, Alaska had 545 days of special sessions, costing about $14,000 per day. That’s about $7.5 million in public money. But the real cost goes beyond that. Missed deadlines meant school districts couldn’t budget properly and had to send out pink slips because the state budget almost failed to pass before the end of the fiscal year. That affected thousands of families. The anxiety affected every sector of the state — from education to the resource development industry, and everyone in between.

Compare that to what happened under open primaries and ranked-choice voting. After the first election using our current system, the Legislature organized quickly. Legislators passed balanced budgets two years in a row, and they got to work almost immediately. That’s not just an improvement; it’s proof that our election system can help Alaska function better.

That’s why I will vote no on Ballot Measure 2 — to protect Alaskans’ freedom to vote for the best candidate, regardless of party.

Jennifer Johnston served South Anchorage residents on the Anchorage Assembly and the Alaska House of Representatives.

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