Nick Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting, And Claimed It “Worked For The Left” Because It Deprived “Voters Of Additional Choices”

Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting, And Claimed It “Worked For The Left” Because It Deprived “Voters Of Additional Choices.” “RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV). We often hear that this novel system provides an opportunity for greater voter choice, but the Left has realized that in reality, they perform better by offering the public only one candidate from their side of the aisle. In this way, the Left does not suffer from:- ballot exhaustion, - cross-over voting, - the impact of multiple candidates competing in what effectively becomes a”delayed primary”, - or a splitting of financial resources among multiple campaigns. Ranked choice voting has worked for the Left specifically because they have realized that by depriving voters of additional choices they improve their odds of winning. In so doing, they consolidate support from the start while members of other parties argue the finer points of policy rather than unifying behind one candidate. It’s for these reasons, that I have supported the repeal of Ranked Choice Voting. I was glad to add my signature to the repeal petition and have even donated personally to the effort to return to our traditional voting method. We need a system that represents the will of the people of Alaska, and this system - because it has been so easily manipulated - does not produce such a result. However, until the time our voting system is restored, we have the opportunity to voluntarily institute a primary. To do this, the leading conservative remains in the race after the primary, while the others withdraw from the race. I have made this commitment many times on the record over the past year because I believe this gives Alaskans the best opportunity to replace Mary Peltola and thereby drastically improve our representation in the U.S. House. To date, I am the only candidate in my race who has made this commitment, but I am committed to Alaska, and our nation, and will not allow RCV to divide and dilute our vote again.” [Facebook, Nick Begich, 7/30/24]

Image: see original report, p. 137

[Facebook, Nick Begich, 7/30/24]