A record 125 candidates won primary elections with less than 50% of the vote, with 21 House nominees now poised to win in safe districts. That means roughly a fifth of the incoming House freshman class will have been chosen by a small fraction of voters.
Alaska voters will decide whether to repeal the state's 2020 election reforms, including open primaries, ranked choice voting, and campaign finance disclosure rules that expose dark money sources.
Critics say ranked choice voting confuses voters, but real-world election data suggests most voters understand the system — and that ballot errors remain rare.
Three cities will vote on ranked choice voting in November. The ballot measures in Irvine, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Longmont, Colorado represent a test of whether voters will support election reform when it's removed from partisan national politics.
From MAGA’s takeover of the GOP to the rise of democratic socialists, the author argues that America’s political upheaval is a symptom of an election system that rewards party capture, discourages independent competition, and leaves voters with too few choices.
From the election reform battles of 2024 to the campaigns of 2026, a new documentary follows the independent voters who keep fighting to change American politics—even when the odds are stacked against them.
Alaska's effort to repeal ranked choice voting would also roll back campaign finance transparency rules, removing disclosure requirements for dark money and out-of-state donations that voters approved in 2020.
CBS News published a headline about Alaska's primary that risks reinforcing false narratives about ranked choice voting being promoted by Trump, but the candidates in question are allowed to run regardless of the voting system used.
Irvine voters will decide in November whether to adopt ranked choice voting for local elections, a system that ensures winners have majority support rather than plurality wins.
Alaska is testing a new election system designed to increase competition and deliver better results for voters. As opponents push for repeal, the state's 2026 races show how ranked-choice voting and open primaries are reshaping elections.
Former Maine Republican Senate President Rick Bennett is running for governor as an independent, arguing that the two-party system itself is corrupt and a major cause of government dysfunction.
