Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Alaska's election innovation

Alaska's election innovation
Getty Images

Todd Connor and Eric Bronner are Navy veterans and co-founders ofVeterans for Political Innovation.

Alaska is a unique state in many ways, including one that may surprise you: Alaska leads the way for election innovation. That’s right: while many states in the lower 48 are stuck with toxic, partisan politics and party-base controlled elections, thanks to the voters, Alaska is doing something different. In the 2020 general election, voters approved an initiative to establish a Nonpartisan Pick One Primary Election system and a top four Ranked Choice Voting General Election system. To see how this system works, you can watch this short video from the Alaska Department of Elections.


This new system, called “Final Four Voting,” empowers registered independents to fully participate in the primary election, instead of just registered Democrats and Republicans. That’s important because according to Gallup’s March 2023 survey, across the U.S. 49 percent consider themselves independent. We suspect the numbers in Alaska are higher.

Of particular interest to us, as military veterans, is that for many years now, close to 50 percent of military veterans have identified as independent (or nonpartisan, unaffiliated) voters. Military veterans want someone in office who is qualified, will do the job, think for themselves and get things done. We prefer work horses over show horses, and that’s exactly what the Alaska election model incentivizes.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

A new report from the McKinley Research Group (MRG) finds that Alaskans are generally satisfied with their new nonpartisan voting system. Most voters surveyed found that the new elections were simple, fair, and easy. A majority feel like their choices are better in the general election and that their vote matters more, compared to previous elections. Read a complete breakdown of MRG's findings here.

We’re launching the Alaska Task Force of Veterans for Political Innovation – a non-partisan effort led by military veterans – to get the U.S. out of the toxic political rut we witness every single day in Washington, D.C. We think other states ought to pay attention to what Alaska has done – we think the Alaska election model is the best path to preserving our Republic as we know it. If you want to learn more about our efforts we invite you to us for a happy hour on May 25th at Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River. You can RSVP here.

Together, we can make the last frontier the first frontier for a new, more functional political paradigm. Indeed, Alaska is leading our nation when it comes to powerful, nonpartisan political reforms.

Read More

Future of the National Museum of the American Latino is Uncertain

PRESENTE! A Latino History of the United States

Credit: National Museum of the American Latino

Future of the National Museum of the American Latino is Uncertain

The American Museum of the Latino faces more hurdles after over two decades of advocacy.

Congress passed legislation to allow for the creation of the Museum, along with the American Women’s History Museum, as part of the Smithsonian Institution in an online format. Five years later, new legislation introduced by Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) wants to build a physical museum for both the Latino and women’s museums but might face pushback due to a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Where Can We Find Hope in America Today?

People putting their hands in together.

Getty Images, filadendron

Where Can We Find Hope in America Today?

If we were deeply divided during the last presidential election, I find we’re all in the same boat now. As I travel the country, people tell me they’re disoriented by the uncertainty, chaos, and confusion in society. I hear this from Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and others alike.

What’s clear is that we have lost a basic sense of decency in our interactions. Empathy and compassion are missing from one another. Yet, there remains a hunger among people for belonging and connection—for community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Competitive Authoritarianism Comes for Civil Society

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 3, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Andrew Harnik

Competitive Authoritarianism Comes for Civil Society

I make a point of letting readers know when I change my mind about matters that bear on the ongoing discussion here at The Art of Association. I need to introduce today’s newsletter about what the second Trump Administration entails for civil society with just such an update.

My views on Donald Trump have remained more or less stable for a decade. As I wrote in the aftermath of Trump’s re-election and before his second inauguration,

Keep ReadingShow less
Will RFK Jr. Fix America’s Life Expectancy Crisis or Worsen It?

Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon (L), and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., (C) appear during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S.

Getty Images, Andrew Harnik

Will RFK Jr. Fix America’s Life Expectancy Crisis or Worsen It?

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has never been afraid to challenge conventional wisdom—sometimes aligning with scientific consensus, often rejecting it.

Now, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy has the power to shape national healthcare policy. And many will measure his leadership with one critical question: Can he reverse America’s alarming decline in life expectancy?

Keep ReadingShow less