Alaska Initiative 1, New State Capital in Western Alaska Initiative (August 1974)
| Alaska Initiative 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic State capitals |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Alaska Initiative 1 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Alaska on August 27, 1974. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported authorizing the selection and construction of a new Alaskan capital city in Western Alaska, at a site at least 30 miles from Anchorage and Fairbanks, chosen by voters from options nominated by a governor-appointed committee, with office relocation to begin by October 1, 1980. |
A "no" vote opposed authorizing the selection and construction of a new Alaskan capital city in Western Alaska, at a site at least 30 miles from Anchorage and Fairbanks, chosen by voters from options nominated by a governor-appointed committee, with office relocation to begin by October 1, 1980. |
Election results
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Alaska Initiative 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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46,659 | 56.66% | ||
| No | 35,683 | 43.34% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Initiative 1 was as follows:
| “ | INITIATIVE PETITION NO. 1 TITLE: RELOCATING AND CONSTRUCTING A NEW CAPITAL This initiative bill calls for construction of a new Alaskan capital city at one of two or three sites nominated by a selection committee appointed by the Governor. Each site must include at least 100 square miles of donated and public land, in Western Alaska at least thirty miles from Anchorage and Fairbanks. The final selection will be made, after a committee report and hearings, by plurality vote in a general election. Construction must allow movement of offices to begin by October 1, 1980. Funding for the committee activity and construction of capital facilities is to be provided by the Legislature. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Background
State capitals ballot measures in Alaska
Between 1960 and 2025, nine measures have been on the Alaska ballot that concern the location of the state capital. One additional measure, from 2002, concerned the location of the state legislative sessions.
Of the measures, three (33.3%) were approved, and six (66.6%) were defeated. One of the measures, the 1976 referral, was neither approved nor defeated. In that measure, voters decided between three potential sites for a state capital.
| Year | Measure | Yes vote | No vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Initiative 1, Cook Inlet State Capital Measure | 44.1% | 55.9% |
| 1962 | Initiative 1, State Capital Relocation Measure | 45.1% | 54.9% |
| 1974 | Initiative 1, New State Capital in Western Alaska Initiative | 56.7% | 43.3% |
| 1976 | Capital Relocation Site Selection Measure | N/A | N/A |
| 1978 | Bonding Proposition 10, New State Capital Bond Measure | 26.2% | 73.8% |
| 1978 | Ballot Proposition 3, Voter Approval Requirement for Capital Relocation Costs Initiative | 55.7% | 44.3% |
| 1982 | Measure 8, Relocation of State Capital Advisory Question | 47.1% | 52.9% |
| 1994 | Measure 3, State Capital in Wasilla Initiative | 45.3% | 54.7% |
| 1994 | Measure 5, Voter Approval Requirement for Capital Relocation Bonds Initiative | 77.4% | 22.6% |
| 2002 | Measure 2, Move Legislature to Matanuska-Susitna Borough Initiative | 32.8% | 67.2% |
Locations of proposed Alaskans capitals
Sitka was the capital of the territory of Alaska until 1906, when the capital city changed to Juneau. Between 1960 and 2002, six different locations were proposed as potential capital cities for the State of Alaska.
A 1960 ballot initiative would have moved the capital to the Cook Inlet-Railbelt region, which was described in contemporary news articles as the Anchorage, Alaska area.[1]
In 1976, voters chose between three cities potential cities for the new state capital: Larson Lake, Mount Yenlo, and Willow. Willow won the majority vote with 53.2% of voters selecting the city.
A 1994 ballot initiative would have moved the state capital to Wasilla, Alaska.
In 2002, Alaskan voters decided Measure 2. That measure would not moved the state capital, but it would have moved the location of the state legislative sessions to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. In Alaska, boroughs act as a form of local government and function in the same way that counties do in other states.
State capitals ballot measures by state
- See also: State capitals ballot measures
Of the nine states that have placed measures on the ballot that concern the location of the capital city, Alaskans have seen the most on the ballot. Omitting the 2002 initiative, which would have moved the state's legislative sessions and not the capital city, Alaskans have decided nine ballot measures. Oklahomans, with the next largest amount of ballot measures, have decided five.
| State | Measures on the ballot | Approved by voters | Percentage approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 9 | 4 | 44.4% |
| California | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Colorado | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Maine | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Oregon | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Washington | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Total | 22 | 9 | 40.9% |
Path to the ballot
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. 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, a second round of signatures is required to put the initiative on the ballot for voters to decide.
See also
Footnotes
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State of Alaska Juneau (capital) |
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