The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision Thursday that allowed a question on whether to keep the state’s new voting system to appear on the November ballot.

Alaskans narrowly adopted a 2020 ballot measure that put in place open primaries and ranked choice general elections. The voting method was first used in 2022 and is again being used this year. Supporters of the method say it yields more centrist candidates willing to work across the political aisle. But a group filed a petition earlier this year seeking to repeal the voting method, arguing that the voting system is too confusing and disadvantages partisan candidates.

The petition was certified by the Division of Elections, but three Alaskans who support the new voting system filed a lawsuit against the Division of Elections arguing that the division incorrectly counted signatures that should have been disqualified. The voters, represented by Anchorage attorney Scott Kendall, argued that if all the deficient signatures were thrown out, the petition would fail to meet the threshold necessary to put the question on the ballot.