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Hello, this is Tim Pike in Sitka. I hope you’ll join me in voting NO on Ballot Measure 2 to keep political parties from limiting choices for Alaska voters like you and me.
I’m registered as a non-partisan voter because like many Alaskans I like to think for myself and consider all the options before choosing the one that suits me and my family best. That holds true when voting for political leaders to represent our state. As a member of the Sitka Assembly for the last couple of years, I’ve found that government works better when we choose good representatives, and they work together on common-sense solutions to problems facing our community. Partisan politics is not part of how we get things done.
Under our current system of voting, voters choose candidates in primary elections, not limited by any political parties. That means that candidates whose views don’t match up perfectly with the Democratic or Republican party platforms still have a chance of getting on the ballot for the general election. If Ballot Measure 2 passes, we’ll go back to our old system of political parties serving up a limited slate of candidates for us to choose from.
Alaska is unique in many ways that we all appreciate, including the use of ranked-choice voting in the general election. This means that there will be multiple and varied candidates running in the general election allowing us to be able to choose our first, second, and possibly our third and fourth choices for state legislature, Congress, and the Presidency. We are allowed to choose from among this varied group of candidates and can pick the one who best represents our views. If your first-choice candidate doesn’t win, your vote will still count if you pick a second and third choice. In my book, having more than one choice is a good thing.
In 2022, using ranked-choice voting, Alaskans elected, in my opinion, a moderate Democrat for the House of Representatives, a moderate Republican for Senate, and a conservative Republican for Governor. Sitkans elected a non-partisan candidate for State House and a moderate Republican for State Senate. That’s proof enough for me that our system isn’t biased one way or the other. It just gives Alaskans better chances to pick candidates who are truly representative of our diverse state. I hope you’ll join me as an independent Alaskan in voting NO on Ballot Measure 2 to keep power with the voters and our options open.
Tim Pike is a member of the Sitka Assembly.
