Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/10/2022 11:21:45 PM (updated 11/10/2022 11:31:56 PM)

If the final numbers in Alaska race for Senate are close to those below, there will be a winner decided by Rank Voting. In Alaska  under rank voting, you vote for your choice and then list the other three candidates in order by who you would prefer if no one gets 50%. They will take the votes for the lowest candidate and distribute them to the other 3  by who the voters picked for the lead alternate. The problem is there are not enough votes even if all the  votes for the Independent went to any candidate to get to 50%.

Then they  will count for the next candidate and that is a Dem. Who did a Dem pick as their choice if the Dem did not win. I suspect  they picked Murkowski.  If no one gets 50%, the highest vote getter wins.

Palin's race  will also be decided by Rank Voting. Howere, the candidate who will be eliminated is a Republican. Did voters list Palin or the DEM on Belich's ballot? It won't be finalized for 2 weeks.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/11/2022 11:17:27 AM

Ranked voting is the worst idea ever.  Not sure your post that Democrats will decide is correct.  There were enough GOP votes in both elections to get over 50% assuming all the GOP voters selected another GOP candidate as their second choice.  The problem with the earlier election was tons of GOP voters didn't pick a second choice so the result was decided by Democrat voters.  I assume that they figured that out this time around but you never know.  If GOP voters didn't pick a second choice then you are correct that Dems will decide which Republican wins.  Have I mentioned rank choice voting is the worst idea ever?

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/11/2022 12:37:03 PM (updated 11/11/2022 12:43:42 PM)

In the Senate race the total votes cast were 212,908 so to get to 50% the winner needs 106,454. If Tshibaka gets all the Write In and Kelley votes , she is only at 101,438. The DEM will decide which Republican wins. I will be shocked if those who voted for the DEM picked Kelly over Murkowski as 2nd choice. 

As to Palin race, the race will be decided by the Rep Begich.

Allowing the top 3 primary winners regardless of party is stupid. You have the top two from the same party splitting the vote and the Dem decides which Republican is the winner. Stupid...

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/11/2022 12:51:18 PM

Still a little foggy about how this works but I do agree that the Democrat second and third place votes will go overwhelmingly to Murkowski because she is more like a Democrat than a Republican.  If that is the difference she'll win.  Stupidist idea in election politics.  I prefer a runoff system because it becomes a binary choice and you either win or lose.  As for the other race I think you agree that Democrats will not decide that race unless tons of GOP voters don't have a second choice like they did in the first election they had this system in place.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/11/2022 4:50:48 PM (updated 11/11/2022 4:58:00 PM)

In Palin's race, you have the Dem with  101,000 and Palin with 57,000. The 3rd place is a Republican with 51,000. Palin will need 44,000 second place votes and the Dem 0 votes to win.? The advantage of Rank voting is you get a winner without the need for a runoff.

So far, spending by the Warnock and Walker campaigns and outside groups totals $262 million, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.

The most expensive race ever was the $515 million contest between Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, which Ossoff won in a runoff in January 2021. Not really that stupid.

As a fiscal conservative, it is hard to argue against rank voting.

Alaska will probably always have  rank voting determine the winner. Their primary is really screwy  as all candidates are listed on the ballot and the top 4 regardless of party advance to the November race. The odds for 1 of 4 to receive 50% plus 1  is a real long shot. The only way for Alaska to eliminate rank is to declare the highest vote candidate the winner and not require 50% plus 1.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Democrat to Decide Which Republican Wins
Date:	11/14/2022 8:04:06 AM

Fiscal conservativism has nothing to do with it.  It is absurd that the second or third choice of a member of one party decides the winner from another party in a race.  That so much money is spent on political campaigns only tells us that we have out of control government and people have the need to make sure they are on the winning side.....cause govt picks the winners and the losers.