For two days, the national press has kept Alaska's Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal the state's nonpartisan Top Four open primary and ranked choice general elections, in the “too close to call” column.
We called it Wednesday morning. Not on a hunch. On math.
In 2024, Alaska's late ballots broke 53.6% against repeal, and this year “No” led before the late count even began. Repeal would need a 17-point swing that nothing in Alaska's history suggests is coming.
So, for the second time in two years, Alaska voters kept their open primaries, ranked choice voting, and dark money disclosure rules. In a state where 63.8% of voters are registered independents, that is not a coincidence.
It fits the night's bigger story: the wave that showed up was not blue or red, it was independent. We tracked every minute of it live, and the full breakdown is on EP66 below.
Check out more stories that go outside the two-sided narrative below.
FEATURED ▶▶▶
Alaska Voters Reject Repeal of Open Primaries and Ranked Choice Voting, Again
With an estimated 73 percent of votes counted, “No” leads 51.9 to 48.1. The ballots still outstanding are the same kind that sank the last repeal attempt by 743 votes. The Editorial Board shows the math everyone else waited on.
POST-ELECTION ANALYSIS ▶▶▶
LATEST EPISODE ▶▶▶
Independent Voter Podcast
Chad Peace, Cara McCormick, Shawn Griffiths, and Ethan Handelman break down the upsets: the wave that showed up on election night was driven by independent voters, not partisan loyalty.
CALIFORNIA ▶▶▶
DSA Machine Falls Short in California's Open Dem v. Dem Races
DSA and Working Families Party candidates won a few of California's same-party Democratic contests, but fell short in most state legislative races against more moderate Democrats. Cara Brown McCormick tallies the scoreboard.
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ▶▶▶
6 Independents Lost and a 7th Trails in Alaska
Six independent campaigns for Senate and the House came up short, and a seventh trails in Alaska as the count continues. Losing on the scoreboard is not the same as losing ground. Matt Shinners on what the numbers actually say.
LIVE COVERAGE ▶▶▶
We Kept You Updated, Live
From November 2 through the final calls, our live tracker ran the nation's only election night coverage built for independent voters: updates every few minutes, the gerrymander scoreboard, and members talking it out in the comments. Missed the night? The whole thread is still there.
MORE ON IVN ▶▶▶
