U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola testified before the Minnesota and Oregon legislatures on bills that would expand ranked choice voting in those states, a first for the winner of Alaska’s first ranked-choice election held last year.
Peltola, D-Alaska, won both a special U.S. House election — after longtime Rep. Don Young died — and the regular November election, twice defeating two Republican opponents, including former Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich.
Since then, the outcome of those races has become a rallying cry for both opponents and proponents of ranked choice voting. Proponents say Peltola’s victory is a testament to a system that rewards coalition building over partisan pandering. Opponents say the victory of a Democrat over two Republicans — who together garnered a greater share of first-place votes — means that ranked choice voting circumvents the will of voters.
