Elections office: Audit affirms Alaska initiative passage

JUNEAU, Alaska – An audit of a statewide ballot measure sought by Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer affirmed the measure’s passage, the Division of Elections said Monday.

Meyer, who oversees elections, last month said he would seek an audit of Ballot Measure 2 to help put to rest questions some had raised about the “validity” of election results tied to vote tabulation equipment the state uses.

The ballot measure would end party primaries and institute ranked choice voting for general elections. The audit, conducted last week, followed certification of the Nov. 3 election the prior week.

The certified results showed the measure passed with 174,032 “yes” votes and 170,251 “no” votes. The audit showed 173,929 “yes” votes and 170,183 “no,” the division announced Monday.

The audit did not include election materials from Point Hope, which the division said did not arrive in Juneau in time for the audit. A prior count for Point Hope had shown 95 “yes” votes and 84 “no,” results released by the division showed.

“This audit showed what the division knew it would, that our equipment worked properly, and the 2020 general election was administered accurately and fairly in the state of Alaska,” Gail Fenumiai, the division’s director, said in a statement.