Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Alaska Amendment 4, Chief Justice Election by Supreme Court Amendment (August 1970)
| Alaska Amendment 4 | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Election date |
|
| Topic State judicial selection |
|
| Status |
|
| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Alaska Amendment 4 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Alaska on August 25, 1970. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported selecting the chief justice of the supreme court by a majority vote of the justices, with a term of three years, and non-consecutive terms for the chief justice. |
A "no" vote opposed selecting the chief justice of the supreme court by a majority vote of the justices, with a term of three years, and non-consecutive terms for the chief justice. |
Election results
|
Alaska Amendment 4 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
44,055 | 69.23% | ||
| No | 19,583 | 30.77% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Amendment 4 was as follows:
| “ | Title: CHIEF JUSTICE ELECTION BY SUPREME COURT Proposition: This provision amends the State Constitution by the addition of language prescribing that the chief justice of the supreme court shall be selected from among the justices of the court by a majority vote of the justices. The provision further delineates the chief justice’s term in office as three years and that although a justice may serve more than one term as chief justice, such terms may not be consecutive.
| ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Alaska Constitution
A two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber of the Alaska State Legislature during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 27 votes in the Alaska House of Representatives and 14 votes in the Alaska State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
Footnotes
 |
State of Alaska Juneau (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
