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JUNEAU, Alaska — <\/span>Even after the last votes were counted from Alaska’s primary election, the final slate of candidates was far from settled.<\/p>\n Late withdrawals shook up the races for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House, leaving many voters upset with candidates who dropped out<\/a> after winning a spot in November’s general election or cursing others who stayed in.<\/p>\n Some were quick to blame the upheaval on Alaska’s unique elections system<\/a> that combines open primaries, where the top four vote-getters advance, with general elections run under a ranked choice<\/a> system.<\/p>\n The August primary revealed some of the headaches related to a major change in how Alaska voters select their candidates and was the latest example of how the real-world experience of state voting changes don’t always line up neatly with expectations. California Democrats earlier this year worried they might get shut out<\/a> of the state’s top-two primary for governor out of fears they were running too many candidates.<\/p>\n Alaska voters will once again<\/a> be asked to decide whether to keep or scrap their election method this fall. Maine is the only other state using ranked choice<\/a> voting for its statewide races.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make things much more transparent and predictable and understandable by the general public so that we can truly have trust in our democracy again,” said Matt Schultz, a Democrat who suspended his U.S. House bid before the primary.<\/p>\n He plans to support keeping the system in place but said it is a complicated decision. He thinks adjustments can be made and sees the role big money plays in elections as a major factor that discourages candidates.<\/p>\n Alaska first used the voter-approved top-four primary and ranked choice general election system four years ago, and two years ago narrowly rejected an effort to repeal it. Supporters have credited the system with having a moderating effect on the Legislature in what has long been a Republican-led state, with both chambers controlled the past two years by bipartisan coalitions.<\/p>\n That was one of the intentions when supporters originally placed ranked choice on the ballot, to introduce a voting system that could reduce partisanship by opening a door to more candidates who would need to work beyond their traditional bases for support.<\/p>\n An unintended consequence is what happened after voting ended in this summer’s primary. At least five candidates between the races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and governor dropped out after advancing.<\/p>\n Tom Begich was among them. After a one-two finish by Democrats in the governor’s primary, some voters were angry when Begich, who finished second, withdrew and endorsed leading vote-getter Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.<\/p>\n The race is now a matchup with Kreiss-Tomkins and Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor. Some Begich supporters said they felt their votes didn’t matter and that they were robbed of a chance to rank the candidates in the general election. Others said they trusted Begich’s judgment.<\/p>\n Begich\u2019s campaign said staying in the race would have required millions of dollars. It said information the campaign reviewed showed the best path forward was to unite behind one candidate. Begich said he and Kreiss-Tomkins, both former state lawmakers, share many of the same priorities.<\/p>\n He said the decision to withdraw was difficult, and he knows it disappointed some voters. He said the Democratic Party wasn’t involved in his final decision.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I feel great about the decision? Of course not. How could I?\u201d he said. \u201cBut is it the right decision? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump<\/a>, have criticized Alaska’s ranked voting, which is seen as giving Democrats and moderate candidates a boost in the traditionally GOP-friendly state compared with the traditional party primary system.<\/p>\n In the 2022 and 2024 U.S. House races, pressure to drop out was applied with mixed success on Republican candidates who finished behind the party\u2019s top vote-getter in the top-four primary. In special and regular elections in 2022, Democrat Mary Peltola<\/a> beat Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich for Alaska’s only House seat. In 2024, Nick Begich, a nephew of Tom Begich, beat Peltola after the other major Republican in the race quit following the primary.<\/p>\n Republicans this year remain divided over whether to encourage a \u201crank the red\u201d strategy in November. The state party chair, Carmela Warfield, frequently refers on social media to ranked voting as a \u201cmess.\u201d<\/p>\n David Boyle, who has long been involved in the state’s conservative politics, said ranked voting involves \u201cgame theory.” While he supports the repeal effort, he thinks Republican voters should rank GOP candidates this fall to give the party its best chance in the governor’s race.<\/p>\n \u201cRanked choice voting shouldn\u2019t be an obstacle,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a game and we need to play that same game.\u201d<\/p>\n Support of open primaries and ranked voting is part of the Democratic Party platform. Alaska’s last Democratic governor left office in 2002, but the party sees an opportunity to win the office this year.<\/p>\n Alaska’s most prominent race, for U.S. Senate<\/a>, features three Republicans and a Democrat in the general election. <\/p>\n The incumbent, Republican Dan S. Sullivan,<\/a> and Peltola headline the race that also includes Republicans Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, and Gerald Heikes. Heikes advanced when the fourth-place finisher, Democrat David Leslie, withdrew. Peltola and Sen. Sullivan won a combined 91% of the primary vote.<\/p>\n Some Republican voters plan to simply vote for the incumbent and not rank in that race.<\/p>\n \u201cIn November, our campaign\u2019s strategy is simple: vote for Senator Dan S. Sullivan and fill out the ballot completely, so no game and no gimmick decides this race instead of Alaskans,” Nate Adams, a spokesman for the senator\u2019s campaign, said in a statement. He did not clarify if that meant Sullivan favored voters ranking in his or other races.<\/p>\n