The Alaska Supreme Court made a decision on Thursday allowing a measure aiming to repeal the state’s new open primary and ranked choice general election system to proceed to the November ballot. The court upheld a previous ruling by Superior Court Judge Christina Rankin regarding the handling of errors in petition booklets submitted by sponsors of the repeal measure.

The initiative seeks to undo parts of a 2020 voter initiative that introduced open primaries and ranked choice general elections. Under the open primary system, voters select one candidate per race, with the top four vote-getters advancing to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. This system was first used in 2022 and is being utilized in the upcoming elections.

Proponents of ranked choice voting argue that it provides voters with more options and benefits candidates who appeal to a wider range of the electorate. On the other hand, opponents claim it is complicated and may compel voters to rank candidates they do not fully support.

The Division of Elections discovered issues with over 60 petition booklets, primarily related to individuals with expired notary commissions, prompting the division to notify initiative sponsors to rectify the problems within a specified time frame. The sponsors were able to correct 62 booklets before the signature count was finalized in March, a crucial step in determining ballot qualification.

During the court proceedings, arguments were presented regarding the division’s handling of the petition booklets with errors. Despite concerns raised about irregularities in the division’s process, the Supreme Court chose to uphold the superior court’s decision.

Former state attorney general Kevin Clarkson, representing the repeal measure sponsors, expressed satisfaction with the court’s prompt resolution, while the Department of Law acknowledged the court’s timely ruling, allowing for adherence to ballot printing deadlines.