we’re shook
<[link removed]>
Hi Friend,
The death of Alaska Representative Don Young this week has shaken up the
election landscape in a big way. Young, the longest serving member of the House
of Representatives — ever — was a stalwart statesman and advocate for the
people of Alaska.
With the death of Young, the state will now hold a special election for their
single, at-large representative. Given the reform Alaskans passed in 2020, the
election will use a historic combination of a nonpartisan primary and ranked
choice voting.
The only catch is: it’s happening five months faster than anyone expected.
Yeah. There’s a lot to do. Here are three things to think about this week.
Alaska braces for a historic election
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
The death of long-serving Alaska Representative Don Young has thrown a curve
ball in the state’s election plans. The Frontier State, having adopted a
transformative new election system that combines a nonpartisan primary with a
ranked choice voting general election, was originally planning on having
through November to educate voters. Now, Governor Mike Dunleavy has announced
that the special election will take place in June, giving election officials
just three months to prepare.
Luckily, our friends at Alaskans for Better Elections
<[link removed]> have been doing amazing work since
the reform passed in 2020 to outreach to Alaskan voters. Thanks to the
Alaska-style elections, every voter will now have a say in who represents them
in Congress, and the system ensures that the candidate with the most support
wins. Help them out!Follow them on Twitter
<[link removed]>
and sharetweets like these
<[link removed]>
to make sure that every Alaskan has the information they need to go vote.
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Fighting a crime that doesn’t exist
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Across the country, there have been a rash of laws passed by state legislators
that attempt to crack down on voter fraud. The only issue: voter fraud is rare —
like, very rare
<[link removed]>
.
Florida, for instance, recently passed a law creating a dedicated agency
responsible for investigating voter fraud. But in the 2020 election, the state
flagged just 75 votes out of the more than 11 million votes cast as being
potentially fraudulent. These are laws in search of crime. Read more about the
trendhere
<[link removed]>.
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
What a two-party system gets us
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Finally, a story from the reliably red state of Utah, where Democrats haven’t
won a Senate seat in over 40 years. Republican Senator Mike Lee is up for
reelection, and faces a challenge from Evan McMullin. The only hitch: McMullin
is an independent. Democrats are now internally debating whether to support one
of their own candidates (who would almost certainly lose), or to try to knock
Lee out by unifying behind McMullin.
It’s not an ideal situation for anyone. In a three-way race, it’s possible
that Lee wins reelection with less than a majority of support from Utahans. If
Democrats choose not to endorse their own candidate, Democrats in the state are
left without their own representative on the ballot. It’s why reforms like
ranked choice voting and nonpartisan primaries are so critical. They give every
voter a say in every election — without forcing voters (or parties!) to choose
between the lesser of the two evils.
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Thanks for reading. If you’re in the New Orleans area, I hope you’re staying
safe. Our thoughts are with you.
Brett
__
Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
DONATE <[link removed]>
Want to stop receiving our weekly Three Things Thursday emails? Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>
from Three Things Thursday, or Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>
from all Unite America communications.
Unite America | 1580 Lincoln St Suite #520 Denver, CO 80203
Paid for by Unite America PAC INC.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
www.uniteamerica.org <[link removed]>
