Ballot Measure 2 (24ESEG): An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries, Ending Ranked-Choice General Elections, and Repealing Recent Campaign Finance Laws
Statewide — all of Alaska
General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Citizen initiative (application 24ESEG) that qualified for the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. It would repeal provisions of Ballot Measure 2 approved by Alaska voters in the 2020 general election (the top-four primary, ranked-choice general election and campaign-finance rules). The pamphlet's statement in support is signed by former Lt. Governors Mead Treadwell, Craig Campbell and Loren Leman; the statement in opposition by Nicole Borromeo (ANCSA Regional Association), Sen. Cathy Giessel and Joelle Hall (Alaska AFL-CIO).[1]
The question on the ballot
An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries, Ending Ranked-Choice General Elections, and Repealing Recent Campaign Finance Laws. This act would get rid of open primary elections, where all candidates appear on one ballot. It would also get rid of ranked-choice general elections. It would bring back political party primaries and single-choice general elections. It would also repeal certain campaign finance rules that were added by a 2020 ballot measure. Elections would occur as they did before open primaries and ranked choice voting. In the primary election, voters would choose a party’s ballot, unless prohibited by the party’s bylaws. They would only vote for candidates on that ballot. The winning candidate from each primary would be the party’s nominee. In the general election, voters would vote for only one candidate in each race. The candidate with the most votes would win. Party petitions, special runoff elections, and other processes would return. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run separately in political party primaries and then together in the general election. This act would also repeal campaign finance rules that were passed in 2020. It would remove the limits on donations to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor. It would remove limits and disclosure rules under current law, including for digital ads, out-of-state donations, undisclosed donations, and the true source of donations. It would change the meaning of a campaign expenditure and remove some fines. Should this initiative become law? Yes / No[1]
The Legislative Affairs Agency summary says the act would end the top-four open primary in favor of party primaries (the director of elections makes a ballot for each party; a voter may vote only one party's ballot, and each party chooses who may run and vote in its primary), end ranked-choice voting in general elections (the candidate with the most votes wins), end special primaries and add special runoffs for some races, remove limits on contributions to joint governor/lieutenant governor campaigns, allow entities to accept more than $2,000 in undisclosed donations, allow contributions through a third party without disclosing the true source, and end some “paid for by” and outside-funder disclaimer requirements. It also re-enacts laws requiring candidates to register with a party to run in its primary and requiring a separate ballot for each party, which the summary calls unconstitutional. The statement of costs totals $2,630,958: $2,608,983 for the Division of Elections (including $2,500,000 for a public education campaign), $15,000 for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and $6,975 for the Alaska Public Offices Commission.[1]
A YES vote means
Repeals the 2020 top-four open primary and ranked-choice general election system and returns to party primaries and single-choice general elections, and repeals campaign-finance rules enacted by the 2020 ballot measure, as described in the official ballot language.
A NO vote means
Leaves in place the current system: a single nonpartisan primary in which the top four candidates advance, ranked-choice voting in general elections, and the 2020 campaign-finance and disclosure rules.
The law today
Under current law, a nonpartisan primary lists all candidates on one ballot, and general elections use ranked-choice voting. The official Legislative Affairs Agency summary refers to "the top four open primary", and the Alaska Beacon describes the current primary as one in which voters of any party affiliation can vote for any candidate. The 2020 ballot measure that created this system also added campaign-finance disclosure rules (including 'true source' disclosure for contributions over $2,000), which this measure would repeal in part.[1][2]
Official fiscal estimate
The official statement of costs totals $2,630,958: $2,608,983 for the Division of Elections (including $2,500,000 for a public education campaign), $15,000 for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and $6,975 for the Alaska Public Offices Commission.[1]
Arguments made for
- Statement in support (former Lt. Governors Mead Treadwell, Craig Campbell and Loren Leman): “Yes on 2 will end the complicated jungle primary system that resulted in 17 candidates for governor this year and 48 candidates for Congress in 2022.”[1]
- Statement in support: “Complicated Ballots: Ranked choice ballots are a complicated mess. Ending ranked choice voting will return to simple, One Person, One Vote elections.”[1]
- Statement in support: “Yes on 2 will *not* close Alaska’s primaries. ... Our primaries will return to the pre-2020 system that was open to 100% of Alaskans - including those who are not members of any party.”[1]
Arguments made against
- Statement in opposition (Nicole Borromeo, ANCSA Regional Association; Sen. Cathy Giessel; Joelle Hall, Alaska AFL-CIO): “Ballot Measure 2 gets rid of campaign finance transparency requirements and allows secret, undisclosed spending in Alaska’s elections.”[1]
- Statement in opposition: “Ballot Measure 2 also gives political party bosses the right to deny unaffiliated voters the ability to vote in primary elections. 60%+ of Alaskan voters are unaffiliated.”[1]
- Statement in opposition: “Ranked choice voting ensures that the winning candidate must earn the support of a majority of the voters. Ballot Measure 2 would get rid of all three parts.”[1]
On record in support
- Repeal Now, the campaign supporting the measure, as named by the Alaska Beacon (treasurer Bethany Marcum).[2]
- Bernadette Wilson, Judy Eledge and Ken McCarty, named by the Alaska Beacon as the measure's primary sponsors.[2]
- Former Lt. Governors Mead Treadwell, Craig Campbell and Loren Leman, who signed the statement in support in the official pamphlet.[1]
On record in opposition
Campaign money
As of the Alaska Beacon's July 29, 2026 report, citing Alaska Public Offices Commission and FEC filings: the Repeal Now campaign (supporting) had raised $1.1 million, of which $846,000 came from the Aurora Action Network super PAC; the No on 2 campaign (opposing) had raised $5.75 million, including $4 million from Unite America PAC and $1.5 million from Voters from the American Center. Totals are not updated after that date here.[2]
Research notes & limits
Read from the Division of Elections' Official Election Pamphlet (Region II booklet; the statewide measure pages are the same in every region). The Division's web server omits its intermediate TLS certificate; the PDF was re-downloaded with full certificate verification (intermediate added from the issuer's published certificate), and every quote and figure was re-checked against it. The Region I, III and IV booklets carry the same statewide measure text and figures. Alaska's pamphlet contains no 'a yes vote means' statements, so yesMeans/noMeans are derived from the ballot language and Legislative Affairs Agency summary. Judicial retention questions also appear on the ballot but are not ballot measures. An earlier 2026 statewide measure appeared on the Aug. 18 primary ballot and is not on Nov. 3. The two sides disagree about whether primaries would be 'open' under the measure: the official summary says each party chooses who may vote in its primary, while the supporters' statement says they would return to the pre-2020 open system. Campaign-finance totals are as reported by the Alaska Beacon on July 29, 2026 citing APOC/FEC filings; APOC's live database was not queried, so later totals are higher or unknown.
Sources · 2
Researched 2026-10-19. Green citations are official government records.
- 1.2026 General Election Official Election Pamphlet, Region II (Ballot Measures 2 and 3) · Alaska Division of Elections Official record
- 2.Alaskans to vote on ballot measure that would overhaul state election system · Alaska Beacon · 2026-07-29 News report