Behind the 2024 Battle to Repeal Ranked Choice Voting in Alaska: The Phil Izon Story

In this compelling episode of the Must Read Alaska Show, host Ben Carpenter sits down with Phil Izon, the driving force behind the effort to repeal ranked choice voting (RCV) in Alaska during the 2024 election. Izon recounts the intensive grassroots campaign that gathered far more than the required signatures across 33 of Alaska’s 40 House districts, relying entirely on volunteers and innovative technology—without the use of paid signature gathering firms. He details the legal challenges that followed, including aggressive lawsuits led by political operatives that accused him and his campaign of fraud. These efforts resulted in significant financial and emotional strain, including six hours of deposition and substantial legal fees, although Izon ultimately prevailed in both Superior and Supreme Court decisions. The conversation exposes the intense opposition Izon faced from well-funded, out-of-state interests allegedly aligned with maintaining RCV, and highlights what he describes as political lawfare—legal intimidation designed to suppress citizen-led reform. Izon also critiques the lack of support from Alaska's Republican Party leadership and state officials, despite acknowledgment from national conservative circles. With $15 million spent to defend RCV and millions more invested in promoting it nationwide, Izon raises critical questions about who benefits from Alaska's election system and why. He closes by cautioning the new "Repeal Now" effort and emphasizing the importance of strategic collaboration, insider knowledge, and persistence in future repeal attempts. This episode offers a rare insider’s view into the mechanics of election reform efforts, the high stakes of ballot initiatives, and the personal toll such battles can exact.