Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins, Former Alaska State Legislator (2012-2022), Former Chair of Elections Committee from Alaska State Legislature, on Alaska's election reforms
2:54:19
·
3 min
Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins, a former Alaska State Legislator, testifies on Alaska's experience with its top-four open primary and ranked-choice voting system.
He observes that the reform has led to elected officials who are closer to the average Alaskan, moderated politics by disincentivizing extremism, and resulted in better, more collaborative governance with bipartisan cooperation. Kreiss-Tompkins believes the system ultimately allows elections to better represent the average voter in a district or statewide.
- Alaska's top-four open primary and RCV system has resulted in elected officials who better reflect the average voter.
- The system has moderated politics and encouraged collaboration, leading to improved governance.
- It disincentivizes extremism by removing the need to appeal solely to a partisan primary electorate.
Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins
2:54:19
Hello.
2:54:21
Great to meet everybody.
2:54:22
I'm, joining from beautiful sunny Anchorage, Alaska, where it's midafternoon right now.
2:54:30
And I served in the Alaska legislature from 2012 to 2022, and I chaired or cochaired the committee in the House of Representatives that oversaw elections policy from 2016 to 2022.
2:54:44
So had front row seats and a lot of involvement and consideration ultimately, passage of the Alaska reform that it sounds like you've heard a little bit about tonight and that your commission is considering.
2:54:59
And I just wanted to relate a few observations from Alaska's experience with this reform that may or may not have value to you all as you consider what to do in New York City.
2:55:13
I I should add, I'm not an academic, so I can't speak to the sort of research or the studies on turnout or black or Asian or other minority representation, female representation.
2:55:27
All I can tell you is what I have observed in terms of sort of hard real political and electoral realities in Alaska, which I think are overwhelmingly positive is the basic takeaway.
2:55:40
And the net effect of the reform in Alaska is that the people who are elected are closest to the average Alaskan in any one legislative district.
2:55:51
And so when you remove partisan primaries and I'm a democrat.
2:55:55
When you remove partisan primaries, you're ultimately getting elected officials who are closest to the average Alaskan in that legislative district or the average Alaskan statewide for statewide elections.
2:56:07
And I I think that's ultimately a, you know, policy or philosophical choice if you think that is a good thing or a bad thing.
2:56:14
There's testimony that suggests that, you know, parties and party primaries are ultimately a good thing, and the majority of a party should sort of dictate overall governance in the city.
2:56:26
I ultimately think, even as a democrat, that you want your election systems to represent the average Alaskan in Alaskan elections, or I think you would want New York elections to represent the average New Yorker in New Yorker elections, and the Alaska style reform basically affects that outcome.
2:56:44
So I I I think there are second order considerations from the Alaska reform that are incredibly positive that I've I've observed in Juneau and our state government.
2:56:52
And because the system, by electing legislators who are closest to the median Alaskan in their district, it effectively moderates the politics, and it disincents extremism in running for the polls in the extremes in order to win party primaries, which are inherently a subset nonrepresentative subset of the overall population, the overall electorate.
2:57:15
And so when you get more moderate legislators and you create an election system that incense collaboration, you get better governance.
2:57:23
And in the four years since Alaska has passed its election reform, I would say governance the sort of quality and function and collaboration of governance is at all time historic highs.
2:57:36
Scott Kendall, who I worked with closely when I was a legislator, I think spoke to this a bit.