Alaska retained ranked choice voting after residents defeated a ballot measure to repeal the reform system by a close margin, according to state elections officials. Unofficial results show Alaskans voted 50.

The historic increase in representation of women came in Alaska even as voters did not reelect U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the first woman and first Alaska Native person to represent the state in the U.S. House. Peltola was voted out in favor of Republican Nick Begich III.

Alaska's election has entered its final stage, after ballot counting concluded Wednesday. The results aren't finalized until a state review board completes its work, which is set to occur by the end of the month.

The G.O.P. united behind Nick Begich III, the conservative son of a prominent liberal Alaska political family, to beat Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat.

By the narrowest of margins, Alaska will keep its ranked choice voting (RCV) system. In 2020, Alaskan voters passed Ballot Measure 2, which replaced the state's traditional voting system with RCV. The measure passed narrowly,

The narrow vote to keep RCV in Alaska is great news for Lisa Murkowski but didn’t save Mary Peltola. Meanwhile, RCV lost in five other states.

A final ballot count by Alaska’s election workers on Wednesday cemented the narrow lead for supporters of Alaska’s ranked choice voting and open primary system, who sought to defeat a ballot measure that would have done away with the state’s new voting process.

Republican Nick Begich wins election to U.S. House in Alaska's at-large Congressional District, beating incumbent Mary Peltola

After ranked choice tabulation on Wednesday, Begich had 51.3% of the vote to incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s 48.7%.

Few desserts are so shrouded in mystery as the enigmatic Baked Alaska. While it's thought people were eating baked ice cream dishes in the 19th century, the recipe for the dish that would become known as Baked Alaska was first published in 1894.

Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice voting system survived, while Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich defeated Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, according to the unofficial results released on Wednesday.