Alaska will try something completely new in the fall election

Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled this week that a new election system can go forward, clearing the way for ranked-choice voting to get its highest-profile test yet in a contested U.S. Senate race there.

Later this year, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, is likely to face a challenge from a former state official, Kelly Tshibaka, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Although elections in Alaska rarely make headlines outside the state, this race is likely to be an exception and will be watched closely as a test of Trump’s strength within the GOP.

Maine has used ranked-choice voting statewide for the last few years, and a growing number of cities and localities are also using the reform. New York City’s mayoral contest was the best-known example of this last year.

But no state has tried what Alaska will do this fall. There will be no party primary in the new system. All candidates of all parties will run against one another in the Aug. 16 primary contest. The primary will not be a ranked-choice election. The top four vote getters will proceed to the Nov. 8 general election, a new system known as “final four” voting.