Alaska’s special election results have received much attention due to the state’s use of ranked-choice voting. But another aspect of Alaska’s elections that deserves attention is its “top four” primary system – in which all candidates run in the same primary, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general election.
Variations of this system have existed for nearly 20 years, usually opting for a “top-two” version of the approach. Washington adopted a top-two system in 2004, and California put such a system in place over a decade ago. Proponents of this kind of system argue that it would lead to political reform by freeing elections from political parties.
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