From my time on Reddit years ago this question came up.
Some cashier’s said they reciprocate the exchange back to the customer. If the customer puts cash on the counter for them to pick up, they’ll put the change on the counter in return.
There also was probably some new training from covid where you didn’t want to touch people directly, so those training materials probably still exist
Alaska, a red state, is reportedly trying to remove their rank choice voting. This isn’t a “Dems” problem, it’s a two party problem.
https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_Ballot_Measure_2,_Repeal_Top-Four_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2024)
Even if state and local elections are ranked choice, the presidential election will still be a first past the post election and the electoral college is still designed for a two party system.