Alas­ka has a vot­ing sys­tem like no oth­er state; Repub­li­cans wor­ry it could cost them in Novem­ber

Repub­li­can Sen. Dan S. Sul­li­van is in the mid­dle of a com­pet­i­tive race as he seeks re-elec­tion this year in red-lean­ing Alas­ka in a midterm show­down that’s one of rough­ly a dozen that will deter­mine if the GOP keeps con­trol of the Senate.Working against Sul­li­van as he runs for a third six-year term in the Sen­ate is not only a rough polit­i­cal cli­mate fac­ing Repub­li­cans but also Alaska’s unique elec­toral sys­tem, which includes four can­di­dates from an open pri­ma­ry advanc­ing to the gen­er­al elec­tion and ranked-choice voting.Alaska is the only state in the nation to have a “top four” pri­ma­ry sys­tem in which can­di­dates advance regard­less of par­ty affil­i­a­tion. And it’s one of only two states, along with Maine, to use ranked choice vot­ing for state …