Polling has consistently shown a majority of Alaskan’s do not like “Ranked Choice Voting” (RCV). For those who don’t know the facts behind its installation in Alaska I’ll provide some insight.
A few years ago, billionaires and other lower-48 groups spent 10’s of millions of dollars to create a “citizens’ Initiative” to put RCV on the ballot. One of their “big” lies was tying “dark money” to the ballot initiative. In essence they said vote for this initiative to get ‘rid’ of dark money in Alaska politics. The ads were dark, scary, and didn’t rid us of dark money!
What they didn’t tell you were a few important points. First, almost all of the money spent on the initiative came from outside the state of Alaska. It wasn’t Alaskan’s or our money being put into this effort. Second, the very people and groups pushing RCV exempted themselves from the law, they can still use all the dark money they want influencing Alaska politics.
You read that right! They are using dark money, right now, spending millions of lower-48 entities’ money to convince Alaskans to keep a voting system we don’t like.
Why? Here’s the key point. Alaska is a cheap date. They can spend 10 or 20 million to create ballot initiatives here that would cost 100’s of millions in big states like California or Texas. Once successful in pulling a fast one over on Alaskan’s they then use us throughout the lower 48 as the “model” state for passing such laws elsewhere.
Do you remember the soft on crime SB91? How about the automatic voter registration we’re dealing with? Campaign finance reform that would favor left wing candidates? Like RCV these were lower-48 groups using Alaska as a steppingstone for pushing similar laws in the rest of the country.
Pro-RCV groups are still spending millions to convince Alaskans to keep it. Don’t be fooled! They know if Alaska gets rid of RCV it’ll derail their nationwide effort to install this leftwing-designed voting system elsewhere.
There are more than a dozen states with RCV ballot measures in play right now and the central theme is “Alaskan’s love it.” It works “great up there!” I know this because I talk to legislators in other states, I’ve even testified a few times at their request to explain RCV.
Here’s another thing those pushing RCV won’t tell you. At RCV’s core it’s an elegant voter suppression scheme. When I was the State Affairs committee chairman, we had an Ivy League political professor brief us on his report. Perhaps the most comprehensive data dive on RCV to date.
He predicted we’d have our lowest voter turnout, certain groups votes would be disenfranchised at a higher rate, and candidates who didn’t get the most total votes would often win.
His report specifically tallied data from around the nation where RCV has or is being used. Four specific groups of voters are disenfranchised at a significantly higher rate – minorities, senior citizens, English as a second language speakers, and those with less than a high school education. Often their disenfranchisement rate could be upwards of 30%.
Four of the most vulnerable groups we should be helping to vote are actually being hurt by RCV. Their voices are being lost. In fact, contrary to what RCV proponents claim, over time those groups get fed up with RCV and participate even less.
How’s that for a great system? It’s still a mystery to me why anyone who supports encouraging people to vote can back RCV. It literally does the opposite of increasing voter turnout. It depresses it. Especially among groups who by all measure prefer and need a simpler system. One person one vote? Not with RCV.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
The empirical data from our first dance with RCV two years ago, for reference, completely validated the predictions of the professor. He was right on all accounts on what would happen here.
That takes us to today. Alaskan’s have taken it upon themselves to do what the legislature has failed to do – repeal RCV. I had a bill for it, but the Democrat-controlled State Senate wouldn’t even have one hearing on it.
So a citizens initiative was started by Alaskan’s for Honest Elections and others with a grassroots effort of many Alaskans who’ve had enough. They have had to fight legal battles by left wing funded groups trying desperately to keep RCV here. Fortunately, the repeal question has survived the legal challenges and will be on the ballot in November.
Pro-RCV groups are still spending millions to convince Alaskans to keep it. Don’t be fooled! They know if Alaska gets rid of RCV it’ll derail their nationwide effort to install this leftwing-designed voting system elsewhere.
Let’s send a clear message to lower-48 big money interest. Get out of Alaska politics. Keep your dark money. We’ll do things our own way.
The right answer is YES on 2 in November. Share the word!
The views expressed here are those of the author.
13 Comments
Thank you for this great article. Vote Yes on 2 to rid the state of this method of oppression of the election system.
This is a great article! I am beyond happy to know that I “knew you then”. Thanks for being an honorable legislator.
Mr shower, trying to constantly figure out who is telling the truth on anything anymore is literally impossible! I have a few observations to make that you may remember or be able to relate to. First remember your elation regarding the choice of Nancy dalhstrom? How she was so quick to mention ” so help me god”.? Do you now have any regrets or a change of mind about her since then? How about governor done nothing dunleavy? Or Mike porcaro, a big proponent of rcv, mainly because of the large sum of cash he made from the murkoski group!
Information you give above is fine and dandy, but with all due respect is nearly useless in the hands of citizens who have understandably given up on this tyrannical system! How about you and others in positions of power start publicly calling out the dalhstroms, dunleavys, porcaros,etc. who are using their power for self advancement instead of public service?!!!!!!!!? As you have said many times, what your doing is not working! This counsel is meant to steer you to be effective with your time and resources! So far I’ve seen far too little!
I was trying to remember what she quickly tacked on at the end of her swearing in. Thank you for posting it. It was really odd when she did that and I thought she was just being “Christianly” back then when she said it; but, now I see it as mental manipulation that she was using on people – she is a wolf in sheep’s skin.
All of our elected officials, except one, have failed us in standing up for our constitutional rights consistently. I don’t even want to say, “Better late than never” because too late in this game has dearly threatened all Alaskans of their freedom and sovereignty.
A reminder for all Alaskans: check your rep’s scorecard that indicates how constitutionally they have been voting! Time for Alaskans to demand that our reps to do their jobs according to the constitution!
https://thefreedomindex.org/ak/
Perfectly said! As a “repeal RCV” petitioner, I remember through my door knocking that senior citizens were indeed disenfranchised. I would hear their experiences and feelings about this terrible voting system. And their dislike of the system crossed party lines to include Democrats. Let’s get rid of RCV!
What I find ironic are the radio ads playing across Alaska now that are making ballot measure 2 all about Dark Money, and they are paid for BY DARK MONEY. Literally. I hope people are awake enough to notice the con…
porcoro raking in more money!
RCV is on the Nevada ballot in November. If you have friends there, pass them this insightful article from Showers.
We live in Fairbanks. Our problem lawyer is Scott Kendall who poorly represented RCV to the judge when a lawsuit was filed stating this was unconstitutional. The lawyer made a lousy case and the judge favored Scott Kendall anyway, and decided RCV was fine. Scott Kendall is a menace and sent his stooges all over North Pole this summer claiming that they were collecting signatures to help Phil Izon against RCV. The liars were actually pushing a petition to limit conservatives concerning how much money we could donate to political candidates. Scott Kendall is getting money from somewhere. He is the lawyer who tried to cancel the state Homeschooling money. He is part of a clique up here working hard to take over the districts. They are farther left than leftists. They are working together and want to access funds anywhere they can get them but not interested in their voters. Grier Hopkins and his counterpart in Anchorage did the same thing using a fast track in the legislature to make it lawful to force hiring of certain groups.. Again all of Scott’s money comes from somewhere else. Now Grier who is part of this clique in the Interior is running for Mayor and with many, many union donations. John Coghill is Grier’s opponent. Pray for us up here. Pray that Christians and pastors and other conservatives will become informed and pushback on October 1.
Christians and pastors becoming aware and activated? Good luck with that! JUSTICE IS TURNED BACK, RIGHTEOUSNESS STANDS FAR AWAY, TRUTH STUMBLES IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE! IS.59:14 Christians and pastors may in fact be the answer, but as things are presently, they are unfortunately the problem!
I thought the RCV worked perfectly. Got rid of Palin, didn’t it. It also showed that AK isn’t as red as you think it is.
Most conservatives are individuals who want to be left alone. Most democrats are hive-mind communists who “vote blue no matter who”. So, yes, it’s your perception that Alaska is blueish is exaggerated.