Trump Baselessly Attacks Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting as ‘Disastrous’ and ‘Very Fraudulent’

President Donald Trump has launched a new attack on Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, calling it “disastrous” and “very fraudulent” in a social media post that echoes his long history of unfounded election fraud claims. Trump’s denunciation comes ahead of a 2026 ballot initiative aiming to repeal the voting method that Alaskans approved in 2020 and have used since 2022.

“The Wonderful People of Alaska desperately want to restore Free, Fair, and Honest Elections in their Great State, and get rid of their disastrous, and very fraudulent, ‘Ranked-Choice Voting,’” Trump declared, urging voters to repeal the system in the November 3, 2026 election.

Election officials, courts, and independent researchers have consistently found no evidence of widespread fraud associated with ranked-choice voting in Alaska or elsewhere. The system is a method of counting ballots, not a mechanism for voter eligibility, and data confirm that non-citizen voting in Alaska is extremely rare. Since 2015, only 70 possible noncitizens have voted or attempted to vote in state or local elections, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.

Trump’s attack aligns with Alaska Republicans, including Governor Mike Dunleavy, Senator Dan Sullivan, Congressman Nick Begich, and GOP Chair Carmela Warfield, all of whom he praised in the same post for working to “restore TRUE ‘Democracy’ to Alaska Elections.” Both Sullivan and Begich have received Trump’s endorsements for their re-election campaigns.

Senator Sullivan echoed Trump’s rhetoric, emphasizing “equal representation – one person, one vote” as fundamental to democracy, though he has not publicly confirmed whether he agrees with Trump’s characterization of Alaska’s election system as fraudulent.

On the other side, Democrats firmly reject Trump’s claims. Former Congresswoman Mary Peltola’s campaign highlighted that Alaskans have already chosen a non-partisan primary and ranked-choice voting system. Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft condemned what he called “meddling” from “Lower 48 politicians” attempting to overturn the will of Alaskan voters.

The upcoming 2026 ballot initiative follows a narrow rejection of a similar repeal effort in 2024, where voters favored keeping ranked-choice voting by just 664 votes. Republicans continue to argue the system is confusing and disenfranchises voters, while supporters praise it for allowing all voters, regardless of party, to participate equally.

In parallel, Alaska’s legislature passed Senate Bill 64 to improve election administration, including ballot tracking, paid postage for mail ballots, and enhanced cybersecurity measures, signaling ongoing efforts to strengthen election integrity without dismantling the ranked-choice system.

Trump’s repeated false claims about election fraud, now targeting Alaska’s voting system, serve only to undermine trust in democratic processes and fuel partisan division. Alaskans have repeatedly defended ranked-choice voting at the polls, and experts affirm its legitimacy. Yet the push to repeal it continues, backed by Trump and local GOP figures who refuse to let go of baseless fraud narratives.