New Alaska voting rules explain Murkowski 'yes' vote for Biden Supreme Court pick

Up for reelection this year in a red state and facing formidable competition for renomination by a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has no business voting to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

But that is what Alaska has wrought with a new system for electing candidates to state and federal office that eliminated closed-party primaries and head-to-head general elections featuring Democratic nominees in favor of all-party primaries and four-candidate general elections decided by ranked-choice voting.

So, rather than Murkowski having to...