Pins supporting the repeal of ranked choice voting are seen on April 20, 2024, at the Republican state convention in Anchorage. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Pins supporting the repeal of ranked choice voting are seen on April 20, 2024, at the Republican state convention in Anchorage. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Opinion: Do we really need to be re-educated to vote?

Our party primaries were meant to bring the top two (or three) people to the final election for the final vote

An article regarding “primaries” in the Peninsula Clarion of Friday, Sept. 27, is a mix of words aimed at changing the public’s voting in favor of a certain party.

Rank choice voting has been tested and tried in various other states plus Alaska. I think you can realize the change it made to the outcome of our election. We all had to go through a re-education to learn how to vote.

I was taught how to vote in first grade! Very easy, I checked the line below the one I wanted and when the vote was counted, he or she got elected. Of course, we didn’t have parties on which to decide. We voted and one was elected, not the top three to run again and see which was the favorite of all the voters.

We have had a very hard push by a very powerful person and by the funds used to buy television ads and mailers. In fact, you can count on many television ads in the future to train us to vote in their fashion, in their favor.

Our party primaries were meant to bring the top two (or three) people to the final election for the final vote. Was that wrong? We are mostly divided in this country between one party or the other. It is very simple to decide on which to vote and not to have to decide between four or five candidates or more.

The push for this new fandangled voting method was developed by people who thought their candidate did not get elected and there might be a trick to get him or her elected. It seemed to work last election but we need to stop it now and go back to our easy method which does not involve re-educating “We, the People.”

Voting no is another of those tricks. Voting no is giving the vote to keep this ranked choice voting. It is the reverse language to get the vote as they intended. Vote yes on Proposition 2 to eliminate ranked choice voting.

Then please vote your pleasure and vote for one person!

Don Poole has lived most of his life in Soldotna. As an avid hunter and bowhunter only, he strives to hunt very close to the game he seeks, using sounds and any wind to his advantage. He is one of only four to reinvigorate the Alaskan Bowhunters Association in 1978. He is one of only two to charter the first Rotary Club on the Kenai Peninsula also in 1978.

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