Check out our latest research on Alaska's election system
Rachel Leven and Tyler Fisher of the Unite America Institute analyze the first use of Alaska’s innovative election system in 2022. They find that the new system — which combines a top-four nonpartisan primary with instant runoff general elections — increased meaningful participation and electoral competition, while also improving representation along both ideological and demographic lines. Specifically, the new election system introduced same-party competition, greatly reducing the number of general elections determined by party affiliation alone. Though the reform has only been in place for one cycle, the report suggests the system has had a positive impact, and helps inspire future research on the topic.
