Alaska Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative (2026)
| Alaska Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Citizenship voting requirements |
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| Status Signatures submitted |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
The Alaska Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative may appear on the ballot in Alaska as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
This initiative would require that only United States citizens may be qualified voters in Alaska elections.[1]
Overview
What would this initiative change about voter qualifications?
The initiative was designed to prohibit noncitizens from voting in Alaska by amending an existing Alaska law regarding voter qualifications. Currently, the law reads: "A person may vote at any election who is a citizen of the United States." Under this initiative, the law would read, "Only a person who is a citizen of the United States … may vote at any election."[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the ballot measure is available here.
Support
Alaskans for Citizen Voting is the campaign supporting the initiative.[2]
Supporters
Former Officials
- Frmr. State Rep. Mike Chenault (R)
- Frmr. State Sen. John B. Coghill (R)
- Frmr. State Sen. Josh Revak (R)
Arguments
Opposition
Opponents
Officials
- State Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D)
Arguments
Campaign finance
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2026
Alaskans for Citizen Voting was registered to support the initiative.[3]
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $20,968.00 | $367,237.84 | $388,205.84 | $388,205.84 | $755,443.68 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $20,968.00 | $367,237.84 | $388,205.84 | $388,205.84 | $755,443.68 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.[3]
| Committees in support of Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Alaskans for Citizen Voting | $20,968.00 | $367,237.84 | $388,205.84 | $388,205.84 | $755,443.68 |
| Total | $20,968.00 | $367,237.84 | $388,205.84 | $388,205.84 | $755,443.68 |
Donors
The following were the top donors who contributed to the support committees.[3]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americans for Citizen Voting | $20,968.00 | $367,237.84 | $388,205.84 |
Methodology
To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.
Background
Voting in Alaska
- See also: Voting in Alaska
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Alaska, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Alaska, and at least 18 years of age or within 90 days of their 18th birthday. An individual convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude may not register to vote until their voting rights have been restored. If registered to vote in another state, applicants must be willing to cancel that registration to vote in Alaska. To vote in Alaska, registered voters must be at least 18 years old and have been a resident of the state and election district for at least 30 days.[4]
Prospective voters can register online, with a paper form, or in person at a Division of Elections Office or a voter registration agency.[5] The deadline to register or make changes to a registration is 30 days before an election.[6]
If submitting an application form by mail, fax, or email, the applicant must provide one of the following forms of identification either with his or her application or when voting for the first time:[6]
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Noncitizen voting laws in the United States
The map below indicates which U.S. states allow or prohibit noncitizen voting in elections for state or local offices. It also indicates which states have approved ballot measures related to noncitizen voting.
In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, such as U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. Federal law did not address state or local elections.[8]
As of 2025, municipalities in three states—California, Maryland, and Vermont—allowed noncitizens to vote in certain local and school board elections.
In June 2022, the New York State Supreme Court for Staten Island overturned a New York City law to allow noncitizen voting, ruling that it violated the state's constitution. According to Judge Ralph Porzio, “by not expressly including non-citizens in the New York State Constitution, it was the intent of the framers for non-citizens to be omitted.”[9]
State constitutions on voting and citizenship
All state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 32 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship says who can vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but does not state that noncitizens cannot vote as of November 2025. In 18 states—Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—their constitutions allow citizens, but not noncitizens, the right to vote.
The following table lists what each state's constitution says regarding citizenship and the right to vote. Click the arrow to browse pages in the chart or search for a state within the chart.
Citizenship voting requirement ballot measures
From 2018 to 2025, voters decided on 15 ballot measures related to adding language about citizenship requirements for voting. Voters approved all 15 measures.
Partisanship of legislative votes on referred measures
In 16 states that placed constitutional amendments on the ballot to require citizenship to vote in state and local elections, Republican legislators supported the amendments, averaging 99.7%. In all but one state—South Dakota (2026)—every Republican legislator voted in favor; in South Dakota, 95.3% supported the amendment. Democratic support varied between states, averaging 43.1% and ranging from 0% in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin to 100% in Alabama (2020) and Iowa (2024).
Path to the ballot
Process in Alaska
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Alaska, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last general election. Furthermore, proponents need to collect signatures in each of three-fourths (30) of Alaska's 40 state House districts. Signatures from each of the districts need to equal 7% of the districtwide vote in the last general election.
If the lieutenant governor certifies enough signatures as valid, the Alaska State Legislature can approve the indirect initiative or equivalent legislation, keeping the measure off the ballot. Otherwise, the initiative is certified to appear on the ballot for the first statewide election 120 days after the legislature's adjournment. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
The requirements to get an indirectly initiated state statute certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 34,098 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: 365 days after the lieutenant governor prepared petitions, whichever comes first.
Stages of this ballot initiative
- September 16, 2025: The ballot initiative was reported as filed by the Alaska Division of Elections.[10]
- October 3, 2025: Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom certified the initiative to allow for signature gathering.[10]
- January 19, 2026: Alaskans for Citizen Voting submitting about 50,000 signatures to the Alaska Division Elections.[11]
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Alaska.
Explore Alaska's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alaska Elections, "Initiative Text," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Alaskans for Citizen Voting, "Homepage," accessed January 21, 2026
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 APOC Online Reports, "Campaign Disclosure: Forms," accessed January 21, 2026
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Who Can Register And Who Can Vote?" accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Voter Registration," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Alaska Division of Elections, "State of Alaska Voter Registration Application," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cornell Law School, "18 U.S. Code § 611 - Voting by aliens," accessed March 26, 2020
- ↑ Reuters, "New York judge rules law allowing noncitizens to vote for mayor is unconstitutional," June 27, 2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Alaska Division of Elections, "Petitions and Ballot Measures," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Ballot group submits signatures to tweak Alaska’s noncitizen voting ban," January 19, 2026
