In a recent letter, the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party, Carmela Warfield, announced that the party will pursue a recount of the results of Ballot Measure 2, the initiative that sought to repeal Ranked Choice Voting and open primaries in Alaska.
The repeal failed by a narrow margin during the November general elections, losing by just 664 votes.
“The Alaska Republican Party will request a statewide recount and review of the election results for Ballot Measure 2 – the Repeal of Rank Choice Voting from the 2024 General Election,” the letter states. “We will submit this request, along with the names of the requisite Alaskan voters required to initiate this process, once the election is certified, which is scheduled for November 30, 2024.”
According to the letter, the party has partnered with the Republican National Committee, “assembled a team” to oversee the process, and has met with legal representation. “We have engaged the Dhillon Law Group, led by Harmeet K. Dhillon, to be on the ground during the recount and review, along with our Party Counsel and observers,” Warfield wrote. “[Dhillon] and her colleagues Michael Columbo and Mark Meuser were recently on the legal teams in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and other crucial locations nationally to ensure a fair, transparent, and thorough process.”
On election night, the “yes” votes to repeal RCV had a lead of over a thousand votes, but as new votes trickled in over the following weeks, the lead dwindled until the “no” votes finally took a few days before the unofficial results were announced on Nov. 20.
Warfield wrote, “The Dhillon Law Group, our Party Counsel, and I will lead this effort. We look forward to a thorough and comprehensive review and recount.”