Alaska Ballot Measure 2 Repeal Campaign Outspent by Law Defenders

With just a week to go until Election Day, the financial ledger tells a stark story about the battle over Alaska’s voting system. As ADN reported, the campaign backing the repeal of the state’s election laws has pulled in $2.5 million, leaving it with less than a quarter of the war chest amassed by the side fighting to keep the status quo.

That deficit highlights a massive spending disparity as voters weigh Ballot Measure 2. The measure would dismantle Alaska’s open primaries, ranked-choice general elections, and campaign finance reporting requirements—rules that first went into books via a 2020 ballot initiative.

The Funding Divide and Outside Megadonors

On the opposing side, the No on 2 campaign has raised a commanding $10.4 million this year alone, including $1.7 million secured since the beginning of October. Repeal advocates have scrambled to bridge that gap by tapping into a network of GOP donors, but they continue to be outpaced by deep-pocketed defenders of the current laws who have flooded the airwaves with millions of dollars in advertisements.

ALASKA BALLOT MEASURE 2: WHAT WOULD REALLY CHANGE?On November 3, Alaska voters will decide Measure 2. It's often described as a vote to repeal ranked-choice voting (RCV), but the proposal also changes primaries and campaign-finance rules.WHAT EXISTS TODAY:Alaska voters…

— https://x.com/ReceiptsMatter/status/2113280500886323510

Backers of the repeal effort include leaders of the Alaska Republican Party, Elon Musk, and other GOP-aligned Outside megadonors. President Donald Trump has railed against Alaska’s election setup, while a lineup of statewide Republican leaders—including Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the Republican candidates running to succeed him—have thrown their weight behind the initiative. Since a repeal effort failed narrowly in 2024, Alaska Republicans have treated dismantling the system as one of their top priorities, arguing it causes voter confusion and hurts conservative candidates.

Meanwhile, the No on 2 coalition relies on its own high-net-worth Outside backing, drawing financial support from billionaire Kathryn Murdoch, who has invested heavily in Alaska election reform since 2020. But the defense campaign also reaches across traditional political lines, backed by leaders of the state’s bipartisan legislative coalitions, labor unions, and the Alaska Federation of Natives.

Arguments on the Ground and at the Ballot Box

More than 58,000 Alaskans have already cast ballots since early voting opened, and recent polling points toward a tight finish. Proponents of keeping the current laws argue that the open primary and ranked-choice framework fosters moderation and bipartisanship in the state Legislature.

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Supporters of Ballot Measure 2 focus their fire squarely on the top-four ranked-choice general election system, pointing to unpredictable outcomes like a namesake challenger in the U.S. Senate race and an East Coast felon running for the state’s U.S. House seat under the banner of “yes to end the mess.” At the same time, the repeal campaign downplays how often ranked-choice math actually decides an election, noting it only triggers when the top vote-getter misses the 50% threshold.

Defenders of the existing setup counter by pointing to transparency. They argue that repealing Ballot Measure 2 would also scrap disclosure rules that unmask political spenders who otherwise funnel money through dark money groups.

In 2024, when a grassroots effort challenged the system, the opposition raised $14.8 million compared to less than $170,000 for the repeal side, leading the initiative’s sponsor to call it a David and Goliath story. This year’s numbers are closer, but the financial chasm remains wide as voters prepare to make their final choice.