Three things to think about this week



<[link removed]>



Hi Friend,



You’ve heard the phrase “Saturday morning cartoons,” and there’s a publication
called theSaturday Evening Post. But this is a new one, even for us: a Saturday
night primary election.



This is a date that’s been circled on our calendar for many months now. In two
days, on June 11, the Alaska Board of Elections will start counting the ballots
cast in a special primary election to replace the late Rep. Don Young. The
ballots either will have been cast by mail (every eligible voter was sent one
by the state elections board) or during early voting, thus why the tallies can
start rolling in during a weekend.



But that’s not what makes this election so distinct. As you may have read from
us <[link removed]>,
Saturday’s election is the first “top four” primary in the United States:all
candidates are listed on onenonpartisan ballot
<[link removed]>, all eligible
voters can select their one preferred candidate, and the top four finishers
advance to the special general election. This primary is combined with aranked
choice voting <[link removed]>
general election, also the first pairing of its kind in American history.



Here’s why we think this development matters for you:



It’s the biggest example yet in the nationwide effort to put the interests of
voters first. In most states, you either have to be a registered Republican or
Democrat or select a Republican or Democratic ballot to participate in a
primary election. In Alaska, no eligible voter is shut out of the process — and
all candidates compete against each on a more level playing field: the same
ballot.That equals more voice and more choice for the average voter. In
addition, ranked choice voting in the general election ensures that winners
have the support of a majority of voters.



For political candidates to represent a wider group of voters and for politics
to reflect the interests of the whole public, American elections need to look
more like Alaskan elections.



Given the significance of the day, here are three other things about Alaska to
keep in mind this weekend and the week after:





A Lot of Choice


The U.S. House seat on the ballot during Saturday’s initial vote count hasn’t
been open in nearly half a century. Rep. Young was seated in 1973. It’s no
surprise, then, that 48 candidates are on the ballot — a unique effect of lots
of people “waiting their turn” for a long time.





<[link removed]>

<[link removed]>




Counting every vote <[link removed]>


The state is expected to have updated ballot counts over the course of a
couple of weeks: one on Saturday, one on June 15, one on June 17, and one on
June 21, with a target date of June 25 to certify the vote. These days were
planned in advance. That’s no surprise for a mostlyvote at home election
<[link removed]>, in a state where 82
percent of communities are inaccessible by road,per the state’s transportation
department
<[link removed]>
.


 


<[link removed]>

<[link removed]>
 




Don't miss it <[link removed]>


Want to learn more about the Primary Problem? Watch and / or listen to Unite
America Executive Director Nick Troiano discuss it during the last week onFOX
News <[link removed]>, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal
<[link removed]>
, andThe Dispatch’s twice-weekly podcast
<[link removed]>
.





<[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

Best,

Chris
__
Chris Deaton
Senior Communications Director
Unite America

DONATE <[link removed]>





Want to stop receiving our weekly Three Things Thursday emails? Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>
from Three Things Thursday, orUnsubscribe
<[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]>