Musk money in Alaska ranked choice repeal reported but unconfirmed

Alaska voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to scrap the top-four open primary and the ranked choice general election. Posts circulating online this week say Elon Musk has put $1.5 million toward the repeal campaign. That figure comes from social media accounts citing local reporting. This article could not independently verify the claim, and readers should treat it as unconfirmed.

The repeal would undo Ballot Measure 2, which Alaska voters approved in 2020. It would also strike the measure's campaign finance provisions, which require disclosure of the true sources of political contributions above $2,000 per year. Under the current system, all candidates appear on one primary ballot and the top four advance, regardless of party.

The measure follows the 2024 repeal attempt, which failed 49.9% to 50.1%, the narrowest ballot measure result in state history. Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom verified 42,837 signatures for the current initiative on Dec. 31, 2025, above the 34,098 required from at least 30 Alaska State House districts.

Sponsors and opponents made their cases at the lieutenant governor's public hearing on July 27 in Juneau. Sponsor Bethany Markham told the hearing that ranked choice voting "simply fails to deliver on the promises that were made to us" when the 2020 ballot measure passed, and it's created a litany of other problems and voter concerns.

Julie Lucky argued at the same hearing that Alaskans have long rejected party-controlled primaries. "Since the 1947 referendum that approved a blanket primary, Alaskan voters have consistently chosen to allow all voters to choose from all candidates," Lucky said. She said ranked choice voting functions as a runoff "without an expensive, lower turnout second election."

Musk's spending plans have already drawn attention in the U.S. Senate race. In a campaign message published this month, Mary Peltola wrote that Musk plans to spend at least $100 million on key Senate races and named Alaska as the first state on his list. That is Peltola's characterization. She is running against Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Ballot Measure 1, which would restore contribution limits of $2,000 per election cycle for individuals and $4,000 for groups, appears on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. The Division of Elections puts the cost of implementing it at $120,503.