Tenney Wants to Ban Alaska’s Voting System
On Tuesday, Alaskans will elect a U.S. senator using ranked-choice voting, and the result could help decide who controls the Senate. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control.
Here in New York, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY24) wants to ban the voting system Alaska is using. She co-sponsored a bill that would bar states from using ranked-choice voting in federal elections. Tenney is also on the ballot Tuesday, against Democrat Alissa Ellman.
Key Points
- The vote: Alaska elects a U.S. senator on Tuesday using ranked-choice voting.
- The stakes: The race could help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
- The ban: The One Vote One Choice Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Claudia Tenney, would bar states from using ranked-choice voting.
- The case for it: Supporters say ranked-choice voting elects candidates with majority support.
- Tenney’s claim: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY24), who has won some elections with less than a majority, says ranked-choice voting causes “chaos and confusion.”
Two Dan Sullivans on One Ballot
The U.S. Senate election in Alaska pits Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan against Democratic challenger and former congresswoman Mary Peltola. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher, is also on the ballot.
State election officials tried to keep the second Sullivan off the ballot, claiming his candidacy was a deliberate attempt to confuse voters, but Alaskan courts overturned that decision. (See the Alaska sample ballot below.)
The Justice Department also sued to challenge certification of the election if Sen. Sullivan loses, but David Becker, an election law expert and CBS News contributor, told CBS News that the lawsuit has no legal basis. Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Sullivan’s campaign are running a radio jingle that ends, “just don’t rank Mary!”
Ranked-choice voting decided the last Senate race in Alaska. In 2022, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) led Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Kelly Tshibaka 43.4% to 42.6% on the first round. Neither had a majority. After the ranked-choice count, Murkowski won, 53.7% to 46.3% of the ballots still counted in the final round.
Tenney’s Push to Ban It
Like President Trump, Rep. Tenney opposes ranked-choice voting. More than that, she’s co-sponsored a bill that would ban ranked-choice voting in federal elections.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, April 1, 2025
Tenney has opposed ranked-choice voting for years. In 2021, she said New York City “should reverse its undemocratic decision to implement rank choice voting.”
In 2023, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY17) introduced the first version of the One Vote One Choice Act (H.R. 3704). Tenney and fellow New York Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY23) were original co-sponsors. Lawler reintroduced the One Vote One Choice Act in 2025 as H.R. 2561, with Tenney again as a co-sponsor. Tenney announced the bill as chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus. We posted about the push to ban ranked-choice voting when Trump joined in Trump & Tenney’s War on Ranked-Choice Voting.
The One Vote One Choice Act amends the Help America Vote Act to bar any state from using ranked-choice voting in federal elections. It’s still in committee.
In August, Tenney unveiled her 2026 “Make Voting Great Again” plan. Her plan calls for banning ranked-choice voting and requiring voter ID and citizenship verification.
Rep. Tenney says her bill protects election integrity and preserves voter confidence. Supporters say that when no candidate has a majority on the first count, ranked-choice voting picks a winner without the expense and effort of a second election. Counting can take longer, though. Alaska’s 2022 results were not final until November 23, about two weeks after Election Day, and Lawler’s release on the bill points to the weeks New York City took to name a winner in its 2021 mayoral primary.
While most people support voter ID at the polls (Gallup found 84% support in 2024), a ban on ranked-choice voting is a harder sell. It would take away an option some voters may already have and like.
Tenney Has Won Without a Majority
Tenney has seen how plurality races work. In 2016, she won a three-way race in NY-22 with 46.5% of the vote. Democrat Kim Myers got 41.1% and Martin Babinec of the Upstate Jobs Party got 12.4%.
In 2020, she was certified the winner over Anthony Brindisi by just 109 votes. Libertarian Keith Price drew 6,780 votes. Neither race produced a majority winner. Her last two wins were not close: she took about 65% of the vote in 2022 and in 2024. Her full election history is in her biography.
Under ranked-choice voting, the third-party voters’ second choices would have counted in 2016 and 2020. No one can say how those votes would have gone, for Tenney or for her opponent. What we do know is that Tenney wants to prevent any state from using ranked-choice voting in federal elections.
Ranked-Choice Voting in Plain English
Ranked-choice voting is what it sounds like. It’s a system where voters rank candidates: first choice, second choice, third choice. You don’t have to choose between the lesser of two evils. You can vote for your choice and still have a say in the outcome.
Here’s how ranked-choice voting works:
- You mark your ballot in order of preference: your first choice, then your second choice, then your third choice, and so on.
- If a candidate gets more than 50% of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins.
- If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
- Voters who picked that candidate as their first choice have their votes moved to their second choice.
- This repeats until someone gets more than 50% of the ballots still counted.
Your vote counts only once. It counts for the candidate you prefer most among those still in the race.
Ranked-choice voting isn’t new, and it isn’t fringe. The box below shows where it is used today.
Where Ranked-Choice Voting Is Used
- Statewide: Maine and Alaska are the only two states using it for statewide elections. Maine uses it for congressional and presidential races and for primaries. Alaska uses it in general elections for Congress, governor, and the legislature.
- New York City: Primary and special elections for city offices, since 2021.
- Cities: San Francisco, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Portland (Maine), Cambridge (Massachusetts), Las Cruces and Santa Fe (New Mexico). A handful of Utah cities, including Salt Lake City, used it in 2025, but Utah’s pilot program expires in 2026. FairVote, which supports the system, counts 36 cities and 3 counties.
- Military and overseas voters: According to FairVote, at least six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) send ranked ballots to troops and overseas voters for runoff elections. Other voters in those states don’t get them.
- Party nominations: The Virginia Republican Party used it to pick its 2021 statewide nominees, and the Utah Republican Party used it at its 2020 convention.
- Colleges: About 100 U.S. colleges and universities use it for student government elections.
- Banned in some places: The National Conference of State Legislatures counts 19 states that prohibit it in all or some elections, including Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota.
The Bottom Line
Alaska has been using ranked-choice voting for years, as has Maine. Now, Tenney wants to outlaw it. Whatever happens on Tuesday in Alaska, the winner will have a majority of the ballots still counted in the final round. Tenney’s bill would take that option away from every state in federal races.
If you think voters can take the extra minute to complete a ranked-choice ballot, that is worth knowing before the next election. Know someone voting Tuesday? Share this post.
Related from WNYP
- Claudia Tenney: Biography, Voting Record, Committees and Political Career: Her background, committee assignments, election history, and positions on major issues.
- Trump & Tenney’s War on Ranked-Choice Voting: How Trump’s attack on ranked-choice voting after the Oakland mayoral race lined up with Tenney’s bill.
- Is Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY24) the New Face of Voter Suppression?: A closer look at the dispute over Tenney’s SAVE Act and election-integrity proposals.
- Nick Langworthy: Biography, Voting Record, Committees and Political Career: The NY-23 congressman who co-sponsored the 2023 ranked-choice ban.
Stay informed with WNYP
Alaska votes Tuesday, but the fight over ranked-choice voting doesn’t end there. We’ll keep following Tenney’s bill and send you what we find, free and ad-free.
Sources
- Ballotpedia, United States Congress elections, 2026. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority; Democrats need a net gain of four seats.
- Spectrum News, Ellman wins Democratic nomination for NY-24 seat, will face Rep. Tenney in November, June 24, 2026. Tenney’s November opponent.
- CBS News, Two Dan Sullivans: What to know about Alaska’s Senate race, October 30, 2026. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the ballot fight, the Justice Department lawsuit, and David Becker’s comments.
- Townhall, NRSC and Sen. Dan Sullivan launch radio jingle ad, October 16, 2026. NRSC release on the radio jingle.
- Wikipedia, 2022 United States Senate election in Alaska. First-round results (Murkowski 43.37%, Tshibaka 42.60%) and final-round results (53.70% to 46.30%).
- Alaska’s News Source, Incumbents Dunleavy, Murkowski, Peltola hold in 2022 midterms. Final ranked-choice tabulation in the 2022 Senate race.
- Ballotpedia, United States Senate election in Alaska, 2022. Race called November 23, 2022.
- Rep. Tenney press release, Statement on NYC Election Chaos, July 1, 2021. Her call for New York City to reverse its decision to use ranked-choice voting.
- GovInfo, H.R. 3704, One Vote One Choice Act (118th Congress). Introduced by Lawler for himself, Tenney and Langworthy.
- Congress.gov, H.R. 2561, One Vote One Choice Act (119th Congress). Bill text; amends the Help America Vote Act.
- GovInfo, H.R. 2561 bill status. Lawler as sponsor, Tenney as original cosponsor, referred to House Administration.
- Rep. Tenney press release, Reintroduces Legislation to Stop the Spread of Ranked Choice Voting, April 1, 2025. Her quote, her role as chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, and Lawler’s comment on the New York City 2021 mayoral primary.
- Rep. Tenney press release, 2026 “Make Voting Great Again” Plan, August 28, 2026.
- Fox News, Vast majority of Americans support photo ID requirement to vote, new poll says, October 24, 2024. Gallup found 84% support.
- Ballotpedia, New York’s 22nd Congressional District election, 2016. Tenney 46.5%, Myers 41.1%, Babinec 12.4%.
- Ballotpedia, New York’s 22nd Congressional District election, 2020. Keith Price drew 6,780 votes.
- Ballotpedia News, Brindisi concedes in New York’s 22nd Congressional District election, February 9, 2021. Tenney certified the winner by 109 votes.
- Ballotpedia, New York’s 24th Congressional District election, 2022. Tenney 65.7%.
- Ballotpedia, New York’s 24th Congressional District election, 2024. Tenney 65.6%.
- National Conference of State Legislatures, Use of Ranked Choice Voting. Maine and Alaska statewide use; 19 states that prohibit it in all or some elections.
- FairVote, Where is ranked choice voting used? FairVote supports the system. Source for 36 cities and 3 counties and about 100 colleges.
- FairVote, ranked choice voting locations. Maine’s use in congressional, presidential and primary elections; New York City adoption in 2019, first used in 2021.
- Democracy Docket, Wondering how ranked choice voting works? Maine, Alaska and New York City.
- RCV123, What states, cities and towns use ranked-choice voting? RCV123 supports the system. City list.
- KOB, Decision 2025: Runoffs, ranked choice voting, and choosing a mayor. Santa Fe and Las Cruces use ranked-choice voting.
- KSL, Republicans reject ranked choice voting nationwide. Why? Utah’s pilot program and the four cities that used it in 2025.
- City Cast Salt Lake, Your Ranked Choice Voting Guide for the 2025 Municipal Elections. Utah’s pilot program is set to expire in 2026.
- FairVote, Ranked choice voting protects military and overseas voters. Six states send ranked ballots to military and overseas voters for runoffs.
- Ballotpedia News, Virginia Republican convention will use ranked-choice voting. The party’s 2021 statewide nominees.
- FairVote, Ranked choice results from the Virginia Republican convention. FairVote supports the system.
- IVN, 23 Utah cities adopt ranked choice voting for 2021 elections. Notes the Utah Republican Party’s use of ranked-choice voting at its 2020 convention.
