Alaska State Legislature, 2010 session
| 2010 Alaska legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 19, 2010 Session end: April 18, 2010 |
| Other legislative sessions |
| 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
The Alaska State Legislature met in regular session from January 19, 2010, to April 18, 2010. The 2010 session was the second year of the 26th seating of the Alaska State Legislature.
Partisan control in 2010
- See also: State government trifectas
Alaska was under divided government at the start of 2010 legislative session. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Alaska State Legislature in the 2010 legislative session.
Alaska State Senate
Although there was a tie in the Alaska State Senate, Democrats controlled the chamber through a bipartisan governing coalition.
| Party | As of January 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 10 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Total | 20 | |
Alaska House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 24 | |
| Total | 40 | |
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Alaska Constitution can be amended:
The Alaska Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Alaska requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments. Alaskans do not have the power to use a citizen initiative to amend the state's constitution. The power of initiative in Alaska is restricted to proposing state statutes.
Legislature
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.
Convention
According to Section 3 of Article 13 of the Alaska Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 10 years starting in 1970. Alaska is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.
The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:
| State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 10 years | 2022 | 2032 |
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Alaska.
Alaska Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | I | I | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | I | I | I | I | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | S |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
Historical Senate control
From Alaska's statehood in 1959 to 2020, control of the Alaska State Senate was competitive. Of the 31 elections held between 1958 and 2018, 18 left the two parties within four seats of each other. However, control of the chamber was not always determined by the partisan split. For example, from 2007 to 2012, a bipartisan coalition comprised mostly of Democrats controlled the chamber even though Republicans either had the numerical majority or the chamber was split 10-10. Only in the elections after 2012 did Republicans begin holding both numerical and governing majorities. The table below shows the partisan history of the Alaska State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Alaska State Senate election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9* | 10* | 10* | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Republicans | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| Independents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Chamber controlled by bipartisan governing coalition
From 1992 to 2020, Republicans had numerical majorities in the Alaska Senate after all but two elections that split the chamber 10-10, but they did not necessarily control the chamber whenever they had a numerical majority. Going into the 1990s, Democrats had not held a numerical majority since the 1980 elections. Republicans continued to maintain majorities, with their high point being a 15-5 advantage following the 1998 elections. Their control weakened after that as they saw their majority reduce to 11-9 after the 2006 elections. It was in the aftermath of that election that Republican Lyda Green assembled a bipartisan coalition that included all nine Senate Democrats and six Republicans. The coalition elected Green as president. She did not run for re-election in 2008, in which year the chamber reached a 10-10 split. However, the bipartisan group maintained control of the chamber, sometimes working against the priorities of Republican Gov. Sean Parnell.[1]
In 2012, Republicans retook control of the Alaska Senate with a 13-7 majority, effectively ending the bipartisan group that Green had established. Although some rural Democrats joined with the new Republican majority, they did not have the same influence over the agenda that Democrats previously had.[2] Republicans expanded their majority in 2014 and 2016 by winning a 14-6 majority, just one seat away from their 1998 high point. In 2018, Democrats regained control of one seat.[3]
Historical House control
From when Alaska gained statehood in 1959 to 2020, there were two eras of partisan control in the state House, one for each major party. From 1960 to 1994, Democrats enjoyed almost uninterrupted control of the chamber, losing their majority in just two elections: 1966 and 1982. 1994 marked the beginning of the next era, with Republicans winning control every year until 2016. That year, Republicans won a numerical majority, but Democrats gained effective control of the chamber through a bipartisan governing coalition. After the 2018 elections, the parties split control of the House. The table below shows the partisan history of the Alaska House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Alaska House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 20 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17* | 16 |
| Republicans | 18 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 23 |
| Independents | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
*17 Democrats, three Republicans, and two independents formed a 22-member governing coalition.
**15 Democrats, four Republicans, one independent, and Speaker Bryce Edgmon, who changed his party affiliation from Democratic to unenrolled on February 11, formed a 21-member governing coalition.
The Democratic-controlled era of the Alaska House began to unravel in the 1980s as Republicans closed the long-standing seat gap between the parties. In 1994, Republican gained a five-seat advantage and began their own period of control. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Republicans expanded their seat advantage to double-digits, controlling as many as 27 of the chamber's 40 seats after the 2000 and 2002 elections. The 2006 and 2008 elections gave a boost to the Democrats, putting them just four seats behind the Republicans. However, the elections from 2010 to 2014 widened the gap between the parties.
In 2016, Republicans lost two seats, bringing their caucus to 21 members — the bare minimum for a majority. However, their majority came apart when three Republicans — Paul Seaton, Louise Stutes, and Gabrielle LeDoux — left the caucus to join 17 Democrats and two independents in a majority coalition. According to Seaton, the majority coalition was constructed around a shared vision of fiscal policy, with members wanting to decrease spending, restructure Alaska's Permanent Fund, and institute a broad-based tax. The coalition elected Democrat Bryce Edgmon as speaker of the house.[4]
After the 2018 elections, Republicans held 23 seats in the chamber, with 16 Democrats and one independent. On February 11, 2019, Edgmon changed his party affiliation from Democratic to unenrolled. Three days later, Edgmon, the chamber's remaining 15 Democrats, four Republicans, one independent officeholder voted to elect Edgmon speaker again. The parties then split control of key leadership positions in a power-sharing agreement.
See also
| Elections | Alaska State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ McClatchy DC, "Tea party goes after Alaska's bipartisan Senate coalition," July 9, 2012
- ↑ Alaska Commons, "Day 98: Or, Why I Miss the Bipartisan Working Group," April 26, 2016
- ↑ Alaska Dispatch News, "Alaska House will be run by coalition while Senate remains under Republican control," November 10, 2016
- ↑ Alaska Dispatch News, "Alaska House will be run by coalition while Senate remains under Republican control," November 10, 2016
