Free Movie: Majority Rules

Filmmaker AJ Schnack (director of Caucus and Convention) has released a documentary called Majority Rules that provides an entertaining introduction to the potent combination of election changes rolled out in Alaska in 2022. Premiered at a documentary film festival in June, Majority Rules is available in theatres and for streaming in the fall. Schnack takes viewers on a personal journey to understand our broken politics and the impact of Alaska’s reform model that combines California’s all-candidate primary with ranked choice voting as used in Maine and more than 50 cities. Leading reformers and campaign consultants break down the root causes of partisan polarization and how Alaska’s system seeks to change electoral incentives to reflect the will of the people. Schnack focuses on the human impact of Alaska’s system. Mary Peltola upsets former governor Sarah Palin to become Congress’s first Alaska Native without airing a negative ad. Senator Lisa Murkowski earns re-election despite backing Donald Trump’s impeachment. Conservative governor Mike Dunleavy fends off strong independent and Democratic challengers The state senate forms a bipartisan coalition led by Cathy Giesel, who regains office in 2022 after being primaried in 2020. Majority Rules helps viewers understand the implications of a string of expected election reform ballot measures in November: Oregon and Washington, DC on ranked choice voting, Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado on adopting Alaska’s model even as Alaska voters will decide whether to keep it, and Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota on all-candidate primaries. In Schnack’s words, “With America’s democratic experiment mired in division and dysfunction, could changing how Americans vote also change politics for the better?”