Election Results

Open Sample Report

RCV method – The ranked choice voting method used in Alaska is also known as IRV, meaning Instant Runoff Voting.

Exclude unresolved write-ins – The rankings for individual write-in candidates will only be considered if all of the write-in candidates collectively come in first or a close second in the first round of tabulation. If this happens, the division will “resolve” the write-in candidates and treat them individually in the tabulation. Until then, the write-in candidates will be unresolved and rankings for them will be excluded, meaning they will not be considered. However, a ranking for a write-in will not be considered a blank or skipped ranking, and an overvote involving a write-in candidate will still be considered an overvote.

Declare winners by threshold – Alaska law requires tabulation to continue until two candidates remain, unless a candidate achieves a majority in the first round. Even though a candidate that crosses the threshold by achieving a majority in a subsequent round will still win in the end, tabulation will continue until two candidates remain.

Uses precincts – The division will provide results for each precinct as though the ranked-choice tabulation were conducted for that precinct only. These results are just for informational purposes and have no bearing on the overall results.

Previous rounds evaluation method – This option is not relevant in Alaska. It would allow the system to remember tie breaking decisions and repeats them if the exact tie happens again in subsequent tabulation. Ties are instead resolved by lot if necessary, according to Alaska law.

Elimination type – The division will eliminate one candidate per round, the candidate with the least votes.

Fixed precision decimals – This option is not relevant in Alaska. It is only relevant for Single Transferable Vote and Points IRV methods, where votes and points are expressed in fractions. Each Alaska voter will cast one vote, which counts as one vote.

Perform elimination transfer in last round – This option is also not relevant in Alaska.  It is only relevant for Single Transferable Vote and Point IRV methods.

Votes to include in threshold calculation – Even though the winner in a second or later round will not be determined by a threshold calculation, the results will still display the number of “Continuing Ballots Per Round.” This means that inactive ballots, also called exhausted ballots, will be excluded from the tabulation once they become inactive. Ballots become inactive when there are no more rankings, an overvote, or a double skip. Inactive ballots will still count as votes for eliminated candidates.

Use First Round Suspension – This option is not relevant in Alaska. It would add an initial round of tabulation, which is not necessary.

Skip overvoted rankings – An overvote occurs when a voter gives multiple candidates the same ranking. Under Alaska law, an overvote and all lower rankings do not count. Thus, overvotes will not be skipped, but will invalidate subsequent rankings.

Handling skip rankings – Ballots will become inactive, also called exhausted, if there are two or more skipped rankings in a row.

Blanks – Ballots where there are no candidate rankings or the first two rankings are skipped.

Exhausted – Alaska law refers to these ballots as inactive.  An inactive ballot is one that is no longer tabulated because it does not rank any continuing candidate, contains an overvote at the highest continuing ranking, or contains two or more sequential skipped rankings before its highest continuing ranking.

Overvotes – Ballots where a voter has assigned the same ranking to more than one candidate.

Remainder Points – This is not applicable to Alaska. It is used with only with a modified form of IRV where ranked choice voting results are evaluated on a district per district basis and each district has a set number of points.