Conservative activist Scott Presler has taken his election operation to Alaska, where he is working to defeat the state’s ranked-choice voting system and pressure Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski over her opposition to the SAVE America Act. Presler has emerged as one of the Right’s most prominent grassroots organizers following his massive voter-registration effort in Pennsylvania in 2024. The trip included Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and public calls for Elon Musk to help with the effort.
Presler and Martin traveled to Fairbanks as part of their campaign for the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of American citizenship for voters to register in federal elections and photo identification to cast their ballot. Murkowski opposes the legislation despite saying she supports voter ID and agrees that only American citizens should vote.
In a video from Fairbanks, Presler explained why the pair made the trip. “Hey everybody! This is Scott Presler. I’m here with Jenny Beth Martin, and we are in Fairbanks, Alaska, because respectfully and peacefully, we must put pressure on Senator Murkowski to do the right thing,” he said. “We demand proof of citizenship. We demand photo voter ID, and 84% of Americans want the Save America Act.”
Murkowski has argued that the legislation would create problems for some Alaska residents, particularly those in remote communities. In a statement explaining her opposition, Murkowski said that although she supports voter identification, states should retain control over how their elections are administered.
Presler has pushed back hard on that position. During the Alaska trip, he said, “All we’re asking for is proof of citizenship plus photo voter ID. I think that is a pretty low bar.” He has also hammered Republican lawmakers online, writing, “If a Republican House & a Republican Senate can’t pass legislation that 84% of Americans want, then what are we doing?”
Watch Presler make the case for Alaska here:
"*" indicates required fields
Presler is simultaneously targeting Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which has been politically helpful for Murkowski. Under Alaska’s current system, the top four candidates advance from an open primary regardless of their party affiliation. In the general election voters rank their choices from 1 to 4, and if nobody wins a majority, lower-performing candidates are eliminated and their votes are transferred according to voters’ descending choices.
That system helped Murkowski defeat Trump-backed Republican Kelly Tshibaka in 2022. Murkowski received 43.37% of first-choice votes while Tshibaka received 42.6%. After lower-finishing candidates were eliminated and votes redistributed, Murkowski won with 53.69%.
Alaskans will vote on whether to repeal that system in November. Presler has made the repeal effort a central part of his Alaska campaign, writing, “Alaska is doing more to secure our elections than Senator Lisa Murkowski. I need your help DEFEATING Ranked Choice Voting this November. Vote YES!”
Presler has also directly appealed to Elon Musk for help. “Elon, In order to defeat Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2028, we first have to DEFEAT Ranked Choice Voting,” Presler wrote. Musk already has a history of backing Presler’s work, having donated $1 million to Presler’s Early Vote Action PAC during the 2024 election cycle.
Presler has promised that his involvement will extend beyond November. Speaking to supporters during the trip, he assured them, “If you, this November, defeat ranked choice voting, I promise to return to the great state 49 for the Alaskan Senate primary in 2028.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.