Frequently asked questions about the ranked choice voting by tu voz importa
The first elections using ranked choice voting in Alaska were on August 16th. The winner was the democrat Mary Peltola, who will replace Don Young until January of 2023. Peltola, who makes history as the first Native Alaskan congressperson, defeated republicans, Nick Begich and Sarah Palin. Since no candidate won over 50% of the vote in the first round, the second choice of those who first ranked republican Nick Begich was counted. He was later eliminated after winning third place.
The ranked-choice voting system is here to stay. From now on, every election for federal and state officers will be conducted using this system. The next chance to use it will be during the midterm elections, on November 8th. Because of this, in this article, we bring you answers to some of the most common questions about this new electoral system.
1. Will I have more than one vote in this system? No, it is still one person, one vote. However, instead of voting for a single candidate, your vote will be a list of all the candidates ranked.
2. How do you know the results? Votes are counted by rounds. In the first round, only first-choice votes are counted. If in this round a candidate wins over 50% of the vote, that candidate will win the election. If this doesn’t happen, then counting goes to a second round where the candidate in last place is eliminated. However, those who ranked that candidate first don’t lose their vote. The candidate they ranked second will receive it. This process is repeated: eliminating the last candidate until there are only two candidates left, and the one who gets the most votes wins.
3. Do I have to rank every candidate? No, you only have to rank the candidates you like, but the more candidates you rank, the better you can reflect your opinion.
4. Can I still vote for “write-in” candidates? Yes! There is a line for “write-in” candidates where you can add a candidate and rank them. 5. What happens if I give the same ranking to two candidates? Don’t do this. If you do, those and the following rankings in your vote won’t be counted.
