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.

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.

Phil Izon, who led the campaign in support of the ballot measure, said he planned to submit a recount request once the election is certified.

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 ballot measure that would repeal Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice election system is trailing for the first time since unofficial election results were announced on Election Day.

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.

With 50.1 percent of the final tally, Alaskans voted to preserve a system that allows voters more choice in how they vote, and who they vote for.

More than two weeks after the Nov. 5 election, final unofficial results show Ballot Measure 2 in Alaska, the repeal of ranked-choice voting and open primaries, has been rejected by

Alaska’s election results are expected to become finalized Wednesday evening when the state tabulates its ballots through the ranked-choice voting runoff process.

A day after the votes for keeping Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice voting system overtook those to repeal it, the vote count tightened on Tuesday. The votes against the ballot measure to repeal the system are only 45 votes ahead of those in favor of repeal,