Nick Begich has been an outspoken critic of Alaska's ranked-choice voting (RCV) system, consistently calling it confusing and susceptible to manipulation, and has publicly supported efforts to repeal it, including Ballot Measure 2 (Anchorage Daily News, NBC - 2 KTUU).
Begich co-led and co-sponsored federal legislation in 2025 to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting in federal elections, arguing that "one person, one vote" is clearer and better represents voters' intent (Press Release, Anchorage Daily News).
He claims RCV causes vote-splitting, ballot exhaustion, and makes it more difficult for Republicans to win when multiple candidates from the same party run, while also contending that removing partisan primaries makes Alaska's elections more vulnerable to manipulation (NBC - 2 KTUU, Juneau Empire).
Despite his opposition, some analysts argue that ranked-choice voting can, in certain scenarios, benefit Begich and encourage Republican unity, and have urged him to help conservative voters adapt to the system (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Nome Nugget).
Begich has also raised concerns about campaign finance and outside influence, specifically questioning large crypto-linked contributions to his opponent's campaign, claiming it illustrates how "influence is peddled in Washington" (Anchorage Daily News, NBC - 2 KTUU).
He suggested incremental improvements to election accessibility, such as increasing the number of early voting sites statewide (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman).
Nick Begich Criticized Alaska Ranked-Choice Voting System In 2022 According to USA Today, "Begich has said that he is not happy with Alaska's new voting system, saying it creates 'confusion,' but will accept the results." [USA Today, 8/29/22]
2025: Nick Begich Co-Led Legislation to Prohibit Ranked Choice Voting in Federal Elections According to a press release from Representative Nick Begich's office, "Congressman Nick Begich (R- AK) is proud to co-lead the Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act, alongside Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08). This legislation is an important step to protect the integrity of America's elections by prohibiting the use of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in federal elections." [Press Release - Representative Nick Begich Alaska at Large, 4/28/25]
2024: Nick Begich Consistently Spoke Out Against Ranked Choice Voting According to Juneau Empire, "Bernadette Wilson, a senior adviser for Begich's campaign, said by email that the Democratic Party's situation 'is a direct result of ranked choice voting which Nick Begich has consistently spoken out against.'" [Juneau Empire, 9/11/24]
2024: Nick Begich's Campaign Blamed Ranked-Choice Voting For Election Confusion According to NBC - 2 KTUU, "In contrast, Nick Begich's campaign blamed the state's ranked-choice voting system as a reason for the anguish expressed by both sides, saying Begich has 'consistently spoken out against' ranked-choice voting." [NBC - 2 KTUU, 9/12/24]
2024: Begich Senior Advisor Bernadette Wilson Criticized Ranked-Choice Voting According to NBC - 2 KTUU, "'Fortunately, Alaskans will have the opportunity to undo this convoluted system in November,' Begich senior advisor Bernadette Wilson wrote in an email." [NBC - 2 KTUU, 9/12/24]
Nick Begich Criticized Ranked-Choice Voting After The 2022 U.S. House Race According to NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), "Begich has been a critic of the ranked-choice system, saying when he ran for the U.S. House seat in 2022, some of his votes were not transferred to Republican Sarah Palin because some voters didn't rank a second choice. In that race, Peltola ended up as the only Democrat on the ballot." [NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), 9/17/24]
Nick Begich Argued Ballot Exhaustion Made It Hard For Republicans To Win Under Ranked-Choice Voting According to NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), "'When you've got more than one person credibly running from one side of the aisle, you're going to encounter some of that ballot exhaustion, and the other side of the aisle is not going to have that, and so it makes it very difficult to construct a pathway to victory,' Begich said shortly after the primary." [NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), 9/17/24]
2024: Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting In Alaska According to Juneau Empire, "Begich said he supports the repeal of ranked choice elections, while Peltola opposes repeal. [...] Begich said he doesn't trust ranked choice voting. 'I think we need to make sure that the system that we have best reflects the will of the people, and I think the system that does that best is our traditional voting system,' he said." [Juneau Empire (Alaska), 10/21/24]
2024: Nick Begich Supported Repealing Alaska's Ranked Choice Voting System According to Anchorage Daily News, "A separate measure on the November ballot seeks to repeal the system and return to partisan primaries and pick-one general elections. That measure, known as Ballot Measure 2, is endorsed by Begich and the Alaska Republican Party." [Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/24]
2024: Nick Begich Claimed Alaska's Elections Could Be Manipulated Without Partisan Primaries According to Anchorage Daily News, "Begich said the lack of partisan primaries means Alaska's elections 'can be manipulated.' As proof, he pointed to the fact that the November congressional race also features Eric Hafner, a convicted felon serving a 20-year sentence in New York State." [Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/24]
2024: Begich Endorsed Repeal Of Ranked Choice Voting And Supported Partisan Primaries In Alaska According to Anchorage Daily News, "That measure, known as Ballot Measure 2, is endorsed by Begich and the Alaska Republican Party. [...] Begich said the lack of partisan primaries means Alaska's elections 'can be manipulated.'" [Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/24]
2024: Nick Begich Supported Repealing Ranked Choice Voting In Alaska According to Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), "Begich said he supports the repeal of ranked choice elections, while Peltola opposes repeal." [Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), 10/22/24]
2024: Nick Begich Questioned Trust In Ranked Choice Voting According to Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), 'Begich said he doesn't trust ranked choice voting. "I think we need to make sure that the system that we have best reflects the will of the people, and I think the system that does that best is our traditional voting system," he said.' [Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), 10/22/24]
2024: Brian McMurray Argued Nick Begich Benefited From Ranked Choice Voting According to an opinion piece by Brian McMurray in Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "Nick Begich can win Alaska's congressional race this year. But it might seem ironic that one of the reasons why is ranked choice voting which is more likely to help, not hurt, his chances of victory. Not only can RCV help him defeat Mary Peltola, but by embracing how to campaign with it, Begich will also be teaching voters on the right how to use the system effectively." [Brian McMurray - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 10/22/24]
2024: Brian McMurray Asserted Nick Begich Needed to Embrace and Explain Ranked Choice Voting to Conservative Voters According to an opinion piece by Brian McMurray in Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "The best thing Begich can do is embrace RCV and explain to conservative voters how it works, urging them to look past their fear and mistrust that many Republicans are spreading." [Brian McMurray - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 10/22/24]
October 2024: Begich Opposed Ranked-Choice Voting In Alaska According to NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), "In contrast, Begich said he does not support ranked-choice voting, saying it's a system that can be manipulated." [NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), 10/22/24]
October 2024: Begich Attributed Presence Of Felon On Ballot To Lack Of Primary Process According to NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), "We do have a convicted felon on the ballot out of state. Doesn't live here not going to live here and part of that is because we didn't have a primary process that eliminated that person," Begich said. [NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), 10/22/24]
October 2024: Nick Begich III Opposed Alaska's Ranked-Choice Voting System According to Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Alaska), "Begich said he opposes Alaska's current ranked-choice voting system and supports it's repeal efforts. 'I think we need to make sure that the system that we have best reflects the will of the people,' he said at the Oct. 22 forum. 'I think the system that does that best is our traditional voting system.'" [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Alaska), 11/1/24]
November 2024: Outcome Of Nick Begich's Race Subject To Ranked Choice Tabulation If No Candidate Reaches 50% According to Anchorage Daily News, "If neither candidate captures more than 50% of the vote, the winner will be determined by a ranked choice tabulation, in which other candidates' votes will be redistributed according to voters' preferences." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 11/19/24]
November 2024: Ranked Choice Voting Process Was Expected To Benefit Begich According to Nome Nugget (Alaska), "While the race appears to be headed to ranked choice voting, Begich is positioned to expand his lead through the process. That's because the third-highest vote getter, John Wayne Howe of the Alaskan Independence Party, ran to Begich's right. Under ranked choice voting, the votes of lower ranking candidates are redistributed to leading contenders based on the voters' secondary choices. Howe's voters are likely to have favored Begich in their secondary choices." [Nome Nugget (Alaska), 11/21/24]
2024: Begich Opposed Alaska's Ranked-Choice Voting System According to NBC - 2 KTUU, "A supporter of Ballot Measure #2 and an opponent of Alaska's open primary and ranked-choice voting system, Begich expressed before the election that he believed the best way for a Republican to defeat Peltola was to create a one-on-one race with her in the general election." [NBC - 2 KTUU, 11/22/24]
May 2025: Rep. Nick Begich III Co-Sponsored Bill To Prohibit Ranked Choice Voting In Federal Elections According to Anchorage Daily News, "Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III of Alaska has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in federal elections." [Anchorage Daily News, 5/1/25]
May 2025: Begich Criticized Ranked Choice Voting As Confusing And Uncertain According to Anchorage Daily News, "Begich said in a Monday statement that ranked choice voting has added uncertainty and confusion to the federal election process." [Anchorage Daily News, 5/1/25]
May 2025: Begich Asserted 'One Person, One Vote' Was Preferable To Ranked Choice Voting According to Anchorage Daily News, "'One person, one vote' is a proven, tried and true method that is easy to understand, easy to audit, and quick to report," Begich said. "Experiments with our national election systems risk disenfranchisement of voters and lead to outcomes that do not represent the true will of the American people." [Anchorage Daily News, 5/1/25]
May 2025: Nick Begich Co-Sponsored Legislation To Prohibit Ranked Choice Voting In Federal Elections According to Anchorage Daily News, "Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III of Alaska has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in federal elections." [Anchorage Daily News, 5/1/25]
August 2022: Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting System In Alaska According to Peninsula Clarion, 'Begich said he's not a fan of ranked choice, which he called a "national experiment" funded by "dark money," since "what it does is it eliminates a true primary." "We're effectively running a primary and a general election at the same time," he said. I think that creates some counter-productivity including keeping voters from closely parsing candidates' positions.' [Peninsula Clarion (Kenai, Alaska), 8/1/22]
August 2022: Begich Criticized Ranked Choice Voting For Splitting The Vote According to Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, "Like Palin, Begich criticized rank choice voting as splitting the vote, adding in his Aug. 31 letter the polls show 'that Alaskans are looking for a less polarizing candidate than Mary Peltola.'" [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 9/7/22]
2022: Nick Begich Criticized Sarah Palin and Claimed Ranked Choice Voting Favored Democrat According to an opinion piece by Matt Buxton in Anchorage Press, "The biggest lesson as we move into the 2022 general election, is that ranked choice voting showed that a vote for Sara Palin is in reality a vote for Mary Peltola," he said. "Palin simply doesn't have enough support from Alaskans to win an election." [Matt Buxton - Anchorage Press (Alaska), 9/7/22]
September 2022: Nick Begich Said He Would Rank Palin Second In Ranked Choice Voting According to Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 'Begich said he would rank Palin second during the Nov. 8 ranked choice vote.' [Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 9/26/22]
2024: Nick Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting And Pledged To Withdraw If Placed Behind Dahlstrom According to Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "Begich, a firm opponent of ranked choice voting, has said that if he finishes behind Dahlstrom in the race, he will drop out in order to consolidate support behind her. Dahlstrom hasn't made a similar promise." [Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 8/5/24]
2024: Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting And Said He Would Drop Out If He Finished Behind Dahlstrom According to Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), "Begich, a firm opponent of ranked choice voting, has said that if he finishes behind Dahlstrom in the race, he will drop out in order to consolidate support behind her." [Daily Sitka Sentinel (Alaska), 8/5/24]
2024: Nick Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting And Pledged To Withdraw If He Finishes Behind Dahlstrom According to Juneau Empire, "Begich, a firm opponent of ranked choice voting, has said that if he finishes behind Dahlstrom in the race, he will drop out in order to consolidate support behind her." [Juneau Empire, 8/5/24]
2024: Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting And Offered To Drop Out If He Placed Behind Dahlstrom According to Kodiak Daily Mirror (Alaska), "Begich, a firm opponent of ranked choice voting, has said that if he finishes behind Dahlstrom in the race, he will drop out in order to consolidate support behind her." [Kodiak Daily Mirror (Alaska), 8/6/24]
2024: Begich Opposed Ranked Choice Voting And Pledged To Drop Out If He Finished Behind Dahlstrom According to Nome Nugget (Alaska), "Begich, a firm opponent of ranked choice voting, has said that if he finishes behind Dahlstrom in the race, he will drop out in order to consolidate support behind her." [Nome Nugget (Alaska), 8/8/24]
August 2024: Nick Begich Was Set To Advance To General Election Under Ranked Choice System According to Daily Sitka Sentinel, "This year's election season is the second in Alaska under the ranked choice system, so the four top vote-getters in the open primary will advance to the general election." [Daily Sitka Sentinel, 8/21/24]
2024: Nick Begich Commented On Ballot Exhaustion In Alaska's Ranked-Choice Voting According to NBC - 2 KTUU, "When we went back and looked at the regular election in 2022, what we saw was that about 29% of Alaskan voters chose not to rank a second choice," Begich said. "And so when you've got more than one person credibly running from one side of the aisle, you're going to encounter some of that ballot exhaustion, and the other side of the aisle is not going to have that." [NBC - 2 KTUU, 8/27/24]
August 2024: Alaska U.S. House General Election Used Ranked Choice Voting Affecting Begich According to Juneau Empire (Alaska), "Alaska's statewide general elections are now decided by ranked choice voting, which means Dahlstrom could have remained in the race, which some Republicans feared would result in people supporting her and refusing to rank Begich second on their ballots." [Juneau Empire (Alaska), 8/28/24]
2024: Begich Advocated For A Unified Republican Front Prior To The Primary According to The Daily Sitka Sentinel, "before the primary, Begich was among the loudest voices urging a unified Republican front. With Salisbury out of the race, Begich no longer has to worry about a split ticket." [Daily Sitka Sentinel, 9/4/24]
August 2024: Begich Asserted That Voting for Peltola Meant Endorsing the Democratic Agenda According to Arctic Sounder, "'Remember, the most important vote that a member takes is for the speaker of the House. And when Mary Peltola votes for the speaker of the House to be a Democrat, she's signing us up for the Democrat agenda,' said Begich." [Arctic Sounder, 9/5/24]
2024: Brian McMurray Suggested Nick Begich Could Gain Advantage by Appealing to AIP Voters Under RCV According to an opinion piece by Brian McMurray in Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "Begich can appeal to these [AIP] voters, asking them to rank him second. If neither he nor Peltola reaches 50% in the first round, Howe's votes will be redistributed and the advantage Begich gains from them could make a critical difference." [Brian McMurray - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 10/22/24]
June 2022: Nick Begich Indicated He Would Rank Sarah Palin Second On Ranked Choice Ballot According to Alaska Dispatch News, "Asked who they would rank as second, Begich said he would choose Palin while the other two candidates declined to comment." [Alaska Dispatch News, 6/28/22]
January 2024: Nick Begich Stated Commitment To Republican Unity In Ranked Choice Voting System According to Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, "During his Wednesday keynote speech, he told local voters it's important to select Republican candidates as their primary choices. He added it would also be essential for a losing Republican candidate to bow out and support the more favorable Republican if necessary, something he would commit to. [...] 'I want to win,' he told voters, but stressed it's important to have unity. The key to doing so, he told the News-Miner is that voters must fully complete the ballot. He said the ranked choice voting system, coupled with an election-heavy year, changed the outcome in 2022. [...] 'Ranked choice voting is what we have regardless of how we feel about it,' Begich said. 'It behoves us to fill out ballot and make sure we rank all the people we would like to potentially see in office.'" [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 1/26/24]
2024: Begich Suggested Alaska's Elections Could Be Manipulated According to Anchorage Daily News, "Begich said the lack of partisan primaries means Alaska's elections 'can be manipulated.' As proof, he pointed to the fact that the November congressional race also features Eric Hafner, a convicted felon serving a 20-year sentence in New York State." [Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/24]
2022: Nick Begich Described Alaska's Election Filing Accessibility According to Alaska Dispatch News, "'One of the great things about America is if you have a hundred dollars, you can go down to Division of Elections and file,' Begich said Friday." [Alaska Dispatch News, 4/2/22]
October 2024: Begich Questioned Crypto-Related Support For Opponent's Campaign According to Anchorage Daily News, "For his question, Begich asked about a $1.9 million donation to boost Peltola's candidacy from Fairshake, a group that Politico reports is backing candidates who support crypto-friendly policies. [...] Begich seized on her apparent lack of expertise with crypto and said that showed how influence is peddled in Washington." [Anchorage Daily News, 10/11/24]
October 2024: Begich Questioned Peltola About Crypto Contributions, Claimed Influence Peddling In D.C. According to Anchorage Daily News, "For his question, Begich asked about a $1.9 million donation to boost Peltola s candidacy from Fairshake, a group that Politico reports is backing candidates who support crypto-friendly policies. [...] Begich seized on her apparent lack of expertise with crypto and said that showed how influence is peddled in Washington. 'And I wanted to raise this question because I wanted to show Alaskans, look, this is how people buy votes in Congress. This is what they do,' he said." [Anchorage Daily News, 10/11/24]
2024: Nick Begich Challenged Mary Peltola Over Cryptocurrency And Fairshake PAC Support According to NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), "'Can you explain to Alaskans what is cryptocurrency, and how does it work,' Begich asked after accusing Peltola of accepting $2 million in campaign finances from cryptocurrency political action committee, or PAC, called Fairshake." [NBC - 2 KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska), 10/11/24]
2024: Robin Smith Accused Nick Begich Of Giving Contradictory Statements On Social Security According to an opinion piece by Robin Smith in Anchorage Daily News, "When Begich was on right-wing talk radio, he trashed Social Security, calling it a 'Ponzi scheme.' Yet when appearing in Alaska Public Media's debate, Begich claimed to fully support Social Security. Which statement is true? Begich must be lying to someone; it's just unclear to whom." [Robin Smith - Anchorage Daily News, 10/27/24]
2024: Robin Smith Asserted Nick Begich Gave Conflicting Statements About Social Security According to an opinion piece by Robin Smith in Anchorage Daily News, "When Begich was on right-wing talk radio, he trashed Social Security, calling it a 'Ponzi scheme.' Yet when appearing in Alaska Public Media's debate, Begich claimed to fully support Social Security." [Robin Smith - Anchorage Daily News, 10/27/24]
November 2024: Begich Called For More Early Voting Sites In Future Elections According to Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "Though there were numerous sites around the state set up for early voting, it might be a good idea to have more such sites in future elections, Begich said." [Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 11/6/24]