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Will ranked choice voting affect timing of Maine and Alaska’s Senate race results? Here’s what we know
Maine and Alaska use ranked choice voting for their competitive US Senate races, which could influence how soon news organisations project winners. The voting system does not automatically delay results, but in close contests forecasters may need more official vote totals before calling a race.
Voters rank candidates by preference; if no one wins more than 50 per cent of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their ballots are reassigned to voters’ next choices. The process repeats until a candidate passes 50 per cent. Alaska has four candidates on its ballot and adopted ranked choice voting in 2022; voters chose to retain it in 2024. The article notes that official results take weeks to count and certify.
In short
- Ranked choice voting may affect projections in close races.
- Candidates need more than 50 per cent to win.
- Alaska has four candidates on the Senate ballot.
Explained simply
Ranked choice voting lets voters list candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets more than half of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots are reassigned according to voters’ next choices; this continues until someone passes 50 per cent.
Maine and Alaska use this system in their competitive Senate races. Alaska has four candidates on the ballot and adopted ranked choice voting in 2022; voters chose to keep it in 2024.
The count does not automatically take longer because of ranked choices, but a close race may need more official totals before a winner can be projected. In Alaska, official results take weeks to count and certify, so early projections and certified results may come at different times.
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