Alaska Statute 15.15.360(a)(4)

I moved to Alaska a little over 3 and a half years ago, about a year after I decided to take up Poundstone's challenge and work to enact approval (or maybe even score) voting in my city. Needless to say, changing localities tends to disrupt those kind of local efforts, and I've been hesitant to start, from scratch, again. But it's time I stop making excuses.

Alaska statute, section 15.15.360, part a, line 4. This is my enemy:

"If a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to the office, the votes for candidates for that office may not be counted."

These 27 words are the greatest legislative obstacle standing in my way for fairer electoral outcomes. All I would need to do in order to make approval voting the law of the land for elections across my entire state, is to change that line to something like:

"If a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to the office, a vote shall be counted for each candidate properly marked."

...which is copied, word-for-word, from the preceding sentence of the statute, about what to do if a voter marks fewer names than there are persons to be elected to the office.

It's such a small change. But it has such profound implications, and will (I'm sure) see so much resistance. Time to get to work.