( NewsNation) — A city in Alaska is preparing to become the first in the United States to allow voters to cast ballots from their smartphones in its upcoming municipal election.

Alaskans enacted the state’s existing elections system via a ballot measure in 2020, and a repeal measure last year failed by only 737 votes out of 320,985 cast. Proponents of the repeal vowed at that time to renew their effort and began gathering signatures in February to force another vote.

Anchorage will experiment with internet voting in local elections, betting that its ease and security will win over voters even in an era of election conspiracy theories.

Juneau voters favored ranked choice voting at the state level, but nearly everyone who testified at Monday's Assembly meeting spoke against adopting it locally.

The largest city in Alaska is about to undertake an experiment that feels both inevitable and impossibly futuristic in an era of pervasive mistrust toward elections: allowing all voters to cast ballots from their smartphones.

By-mail options for voters in the state’s most populous city include casting ballots electronically, which has been offered since 2018. A more recent “secure document portal” further empowers residents.

If adopted, Juneau would become the first major city in Alaska to adopt ranked choice voting for municipal elections.

As Alaskans who care deeply about the future of our state and the integrity of our democracy, we feel compelled to speak out in support of the Citizen-Only Voting Initiative.