Alaska Lieutenant Governor
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The Alaska Lieutenant Governor has jurisdiction over state election laws, ensuring uniform implementation throughout the state. This includes local and regional elections in the unorganized borough. The Lieutenant Governor also qualifies statewide and state district candidates and ballot initiatives, and publishes the official state voter-information pamphlet. It also is responsible for registration record of 400,000 Alaskans.
The position did not exist prior to statehood of Alaska, though the territorial-era Secretary of Alaska was somewhat analogous. Prior to August 25 1970, the position was referred to as Secretary of State, but was functionally identical.
The current Lieutenant Governor of Alaska is Sean Parnell.
Overview
Any member of the public may propose a ballot issue in Alaska. There are certain steps that must be followed in order to get the issue on the ballot, and these steps are regulated by the Lieutenant Governor. The process that a citizen must follow is examined in detail here: Alaska Initiative Law.
All proposals of ballot measures are submitted to the Lieutenant Governor. This includes the proposed text of the ballot issue, the names and identification information of the 3 prime sponsors, the names and identification information of an additional 100 sponsors, and the proposed bill. The Lieutenant Governor then forwards the proposal to the Legislative Services Division. The Department of Law submits an opinion on the contest of the ballot and the Lieutenant Governor will certify the bill and submit an advised course of action for the bill.
If the ballot is accepted, the Division of Elections will print 500 petition booklets and distribute these booklets to the sponsors of the ballot. This is when additional circulators may be approved by the Lieutenant Governor for the ballot drive. The sponsors must file with the Lieutenant Governor within one year of receiving approval of the state and when filed the Lieutenant Governor must review the petition within 60 days.
Duties
- Oversight of the Division of Elections
- Oversight, review and filing of Administrative Regulations
- Commissioning and Oversight of Alaska's Notaries Public
- Oversight of the use of the State of Alaska Seal
- Publishing and distribution of the Alaska Constitution
The citizen initiative is an important part of Alaska’s political system. It allows Alaskans to write and approve certain laws directly, without going through the legislative process.
However, it is important to understand the constitutional and statutory limits placed on initiatives:
The Alaska Constitution cannot be altered or amended by initiative. Article XIII states the Constitution may be amended only by the Legislature or through a constitutional convention.
Only certain types of laws can be passed by initiative. According to our Constitution, Article XI, Section 7, Initiatives cannot:
- Dedicate revenues;
- Make or repeal appropriations;
- Create courts;
- Define the jurisdiction of courts or prescribe their rules;
- Enact local or special legislation.
The Lieutenant Governor forwards all initiative applications to the Division of Elections and to the Department of Law for a reviews of their form and subject. An application in proper form is one that meets all of the technical requirements of the law, which include:
The names, mailing addresses, numerical identifiers, and signatures of three prime sponsors with a statement that they are the initiative committee representing all sponsors of the initiative.
- The printed name, signature, address, and a numerical identifier of not fewer than 100 sponsors. A voter's numerical identifier is one of the following: date of birth, last four digits of social security number, driver's license number, Alaska identification card number, or voter identification card number. Prime and other sponsors must be qualified Alaska voters.
The text of the proposed law.
If the application is in proper form and the subject is also legal, the Department of Law will recommend that I certify the application. The legal analysis of the proposed law may be fairly simple or it can be lengthy and complex, depending on the subject. It is important to note that the Department of Law drafts opinions for the Lieutenant Governor, who must make the final determination on the status of initiative petition applications.
Given the amount of time initiative sponsors must put into the effort of getting an initiative on the ballot, a thorough review process provides sponsors with some assurance that their efforts, if challenged in court, would meet the basic requirements for initiatives.
Contact Information
Division of Elections
PO Box 110017
Juneau, AK 99811
Phone: (907) 465-4611
or currently
Lt. Governor Sean R. Parnell
PO Box 110015
Juneau, AK 99811
Phone: (907) 465-3520
Lieutenant Governors of Alaska
| Governor | Party | Term | Governor(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Wade | Democratic | 1959–1966 | William A. Egan |
| Keith Miller[1] | Republican | 1966–1969 | Walter J. Hickel |
| Robert W. Ward | Republican | 1969–1970 | Keith Miller |
| H. A. "Red" Boucher | Democratic | 1970–1974 | William A. Egan |
| Lowell Thomas, Jr. | Republican | 1974–1978 | Jay Hammond |
| Terry Miller | Republican | 1978–1982 | Jay Hammond |
| Stephen McAlpine | Democratic | 1982–1990 | Bill Sheffield (1982–86) Steve Cowper (1986–90) |
| Jack Coghill | Alaskan Independence | 1990–1994 | Walter J. Hickel |
| Fran Ulmer | Democratic | 1994–2002 | Tony Knowles |
| Loren Leman | Republican | 2002–2006 | Frank Murkowski |
| Sean Parnell | Republican | 2006-Present | Sarah Palin |
See also
External links
References
Portions of this article were adapted from Wikipedia.
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