A federal civil rights body is examining whether Alaska's ranked choice voting makes it harder for some to vote

A federal civil rights body is examining whether Alaska's ranked choice voting system makes it harder for some Alaskans to vote, and it will start hearing from the public Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has scheduled four virtual briefings, the latest step in an examination it opened in 2024. Its project description says the committee "seeks to examine whether Alaska's ranked choice voting laws, policies, and practices infringe upon or dilute the voting rights of Alaskans, including any concerns related to discrimination based on race, color, age, disability, or other federally protected category."

Nothing the committee decides will change Alaska election law. The commission is an independent, bipartisan fact-finding agency created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and its state advisory committees are made up of volunteers who report findings and recommendations up the chain to inform policymakers. Enforcement rests with others.

The timing is pointed. Voters narrowly approved the system in 2020 through Ballot Measure 2, with 50.55 percent of the vote, pairing a nonpartisan top-four primary with ranked choice general elections; it was first used in 2022. A 2024 attempt to repeal it failed by two-tenths of a percentage point, and Alaskans will vote again in November on a new initiative to repeal it.

Alaskans have argued the question both ways at state hearings this summer. Repeal supporters say the system is complicated and that ballots set aside as "exhausted" go uncounted; opponents say turnout has been higher under it. Neither claim has been independently verified here.

The first panel meets Aug. 26, with three more running through Oct. 1, and each briefing includes an open comment period for the public. Written comments are accepted for 30 days after each briefing.