Alaska Prohibit Airborne Hunting Initiative (1996)

From Ballotpedia

The Prohibit Airborne Hunting Initiative, also known as Alaska Ballot Measure 3, was on the November 7, 1996 election ballot in Alaska.^[1]

The initiative prohibited hunting wild wolf, wolverine, fox, or lynx the same day a person was airborne. However, the board of game could allow aerial wolf control if the Commissioner of Fish and Game declared a biological emergency, where wolves in a specific area were causing irreversible loss of a prey population. The law wouldn't apply to people airborne the same day on regular, scheduled commercial flights. Breaking the law would be a misdemeanor. The penalty could be jail time up to one year, a fine up to $5,000, and forfeiture of aircraft or gear used in the offense.

Prohibit Airborne Hunting
		Votes	Percentage
Yes		137,635	58.5%
No		97,690	41.5%
Total votes		235,325	100%

Aftermath

Alaska is one of the I&R states that allows what is called "legislative tampering", which means that the state legislature is allowed to change, alter or revoke initiatives passed by citizens.

In its 2000 legislative session, the Alaska State Legislature passed SB 267 which overturned this initiative.

The legislature also voted to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2000 ballot, the Alaska No Voter Initiatives About Wildlife (2000). It takes a 2/3rds vote of each house of the Alaska legislature to put an amendment on the ballot, which provides evidence that among members of the state legislature, there was strong sentiment in favor of moving toward a system where citizens would not henceforward be allowed to vote on hunting/wildlife initiatives, since if the "No Voter Initiatives About Wildlife" amendment had passed, it would have forbidden Alaskans from ever putting citizen initiatives about hunting on the ballot in the future.

Supporters of the 1996 land-and-shoot ban then collected signatures to place the Alaska Land-And-Shoot Referendum (2000), a veto referendum on the November 2000 ballot. In that election, 53% of voters upheld the legislature's view of things.^[2]

Path to the ballot

• Application was received in the Lieutenant Governor's Office on August 28, 1995.
• A copy of the application and signatures were sent to the Department of Law and Division of Elections on August 28, 1995.
• The Division of Elections determined that there were a sufficient number of sponsor signatures on October 4, 1995.
• Petition booklets were issued to the initiative committee on October 13, 1995.
• Petition booklets were submitted to the Division of Elections on January 8, 1996.
• Lieutenant Governor Ulmer certified the petition for this initiative as properly filed on February 7, 1996.
• The initiative appeared on the 1996 general election ballot and was approved by a vote of;

See also

• List of Alaska ballot measures 1960-present
• Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska
• Campaign finance requirements for Alaska ballot measures

External links

• Ballot Measure 3 on the 1996 ballot
• Alaska Elections Website
• Alaska 1996 election results
• Alaska 1996 ballot measure voter guide

References

1. ↑ Alaska 1996 election results
2. ↑ Washington Post, "Wildlife battle erupts in Alaska", October 27, 2000

v • d • e Ballot measures about hunting and fishing in Alaska Alaska Limited Entry Fisheries (1972) • Alaska Fisheries Permit Initiative (1976) • Alaska Personal Consumption of Fish and Game (1982) • Alaska Right to Bear Arms (1994) • Alaska Prohibit Airborne Hunting Initiative (1996) • Alaska Prohibition of Wolf Snares (1998) • Alaska No Voter Initiatives About Wildlife (2000) • Alaska Land-And-Shoot Referendum (2000) • Alaska Prohibition on Bear Baiting Initiative (2004) • Alaska Wolf and Bear Protection Act (2008)

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	v • d • e Alaska ballot initiatives and referenda
Laws	Alaska ballot access laws • History of I&R in Alaska • Signature requirements • All ballot measures including referrals
2000-2009	Property Taxes ('00) • Marijuana ('00) • Land-And-Shoot Referendum • Run-Off Voting ('02) • Move Legislature ('02) • Gas Pipeline ('02) • Marijuana ('04) • Bear Baiting ('04) • Replacement of U.S. Senators ('04) • Campaign Finance ('06) • Shipping Tax ('06) • 90-Day Legislative Session ('06) • Gasline Now! ('06) • Gambling ('08) • Wolves and Bears ('08) • Clean Elections ('08) • Clean Water ('08)
1990-1999	Gambling ('90) • Railroad ('90) • Marijuana ('90) • Capital Wasilla ('94) • Cost of Capital Move ('94) • Term Limits ('94) • Airborne Hunting ('96) • Term Limits ('96) • Wolf Snares ('98) • Marijuana ('98) • Term Limits ('98) • English Official Language ('98) • No Billboards ('98)
1980-1989	Stock Ownership ('80) • Fish and Game ('82) • Abortion Funding ('82) • Federal Land ('82) • Transportation Regulation ('84) • Nuclear Weapons Freeze ('86) • Higher Education ('88) • Civil Liability ('88)
1970-1979	State Capital Relocation ('74) • Campaign Disclosure ('74) • Fishery Permits ('76) • Compensation Referendum • Bottle Bill ('78) • Homesteading ('78) • Cost of Capital Relocation ('78)
1960-1969	Cook Inlet State Capital ('60) • Relocate State Capital ('62) Voter Registration Referendum ('68)