Alaska English as Official Language, Measure 6 (1998)

Ballot measures in Alaska
Constitutional amendments
Citizen initiatives
Statutes referred by Legislature
Advisory votes
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Laws • History

Alaska Ballot Measure 6, also known as the Act Requiring Government to Use English, was on the November 3, 1998 election ballot in Alaska as an indirect initiated state statute, where it was approved.

Election results

Alaska English as Official Language, Measure 6
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		153,107	68.6%
No		70,085	31.4%

See also: Initiatives About English

Text of measure

The language that appeared on the ballot:

This bill requires the state to use English in all government functions and actions. State records must be in English. "The state" means the legislature, all state agencies, local governments, school districts, public corporations and the university. Those entities may use non-English languages for international trade, emergencies, teaching languages, court suits, criminal inquiries, for elected officials to talk to constituents or to comply with federal law. Costs of non-English records must be identified. Persons who speak only English may not be denied state jobs or services. The bill does not affect private sector use of non-English languages.

Path to the ballot

• Application was received in the Lieutenant Governor's Office on September 3, 1997.
• A copy of the application and signatures were sent to the Department of Law and Division of Elections on September 3, 1997.
• The Division of Elections determined that there were a sufficient number of sponsor signatures on September 5, 1997.
• The application was certified on September 8, 1997.
• Petition booklets were issued to the initiative committee on September 12, 1997.
• The one year filing deadline was September 12, 1998.
• Petition booklets were submitted to the Division of Elections on January 8, 1998.
• Lieutenant Governor Ulmer certified the petition for this initiative as properly filed on February 17, 1998.
• The initiative appeared on the 1998 general election ballot.

See also

• 1998 ballot measures
• Alaska 1998 ballot measures

Suggest a link

External links

• 1998 Alaska Voter Guide
• National Conference of State Legislatures Ballot Measures Database
• I and R Institute, History of Alaska's Initiatives