Among the roughly 70% of votes counted as of early Wednesday, more Alaskans voted to repeal the state's open primary and ranked-choice voting system than voted against the measure.

There were 120,597 votes in favor of passing Ballot Measure 2 and 115,110 votes against it, although it was still too close to call with a rough estimate of 100,000 ballots still to be counted.

Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the electoral system that has been in place since voters approved it in 2020. If the measure passes, political parties would control who can vote in party primaries and voters would have only one choice in the general election.

Supporters of the repeal said the new system confused voters and was promoted by interest groups outside Alaska. Opponents said the electoral system was better suited to the large number of Alaskans who do not belong to a party and that a repeal would increase the power of party elites.

The group that opposed the ballot measure, No on 2, raised nearly 100 times as much money as supporters, with the majority coming from out-of-state groups. Companies involved in Alaska's tourism industry opposed the measure.

No on 2 has raised nearly $14 million, according to its most recent filing, while Yes on 2 has raised just over $150,000. The No-on-2 funding came from the same sources that supported the adoption of the open primary and ranked-choice voting system as part of a 2020 ballot measure.

No on 2's closing arguments on television and social media prominently featured Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who defeated Republican candidate Joe Miller in 2010 with a write-in campaign.

“As Alaskans, we value our independence,” Murkowski said in one Advertisement. “Sixty percent of Alaskans choose not to join a political party. Ballot Measure 2 limits our freedom to vote for the best candidate regardless of party. So join me in my usual rejection of politics.”

Proponents of the measure argued that the new system would introduce unnecessary complications to voting.

“Do you want your vote to count without confusion? Vote yes on 2,” the spokesman said in one ad. “Ranked-choice voting is complicated and leads to frustration for many voters. By voting yes on 2, we can return to a simple, clear process: just one vote for the candidate you believe in.

Those who want to maintain the current electoral system have done so pointed to Alaska as a national model for reducing partisan divisions. Outside attention increased when Democrat Mary Peltola won the first election under the system, a special election in August 2022 following the death of Congressman Don Young. She was the first Democrat to win a statewide race since Mark Begich in 2008.

The ballot measure drew support from Alaska Republicans, who said it would lead to the success of those who are “Republicans in name only.” Recent polls showed Republicans were the only group of voters to support the repeal measure.

Many thousands of ballots sent by mail as well as question and primary votes cast in the four days before the election still need to be counted. The results will not be certified until after the 15-day period during which ballots sent from abroad by Election Day can still arrive at the elections department.