The right to vote is sacred, and every state has rules as to how every vote will be cast and counted. No one can change those rules just because they may not like the outcome.

The Rules in Alaska:

Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference:

• If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the initial round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.

• Any ballots that ranked the eliminated candidate first are recounted in the next round using the voter's next highest-ranked choice.

• This continues until someone wins by receiving 50%+1 of the votes cast.

For example, if a voter ranked Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. first and Dan S. Sullivan second, their ballot counts for Dan S. Sullivan until he is eliminated in a later round or someone reaches 50%+1. Ballots go to whichever candidate the voter ranked next—they DO NOT go to any particular political party.

Alaska's counting process takes more time than many other states for very good reasons. We all learned patience as children, and we all need to be patient and wait for the outcome. Throwing tantrums and making unsupported demands will not make the results come in any quicker.

Every vote needs to be counted the way it was cast. That's democracy, and that's what Four Directions Native Vote - Indian Country has been fighting for. Freedom isn't free—sometimes you have to stand up, be a Fearless Advocate, and fight to protect the freedoms we enjoy in a democratic society.