Campaign finance requirements for Alaska ballot measures
 in Alaska |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Alaska must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| Alaska's Campaign Disclosure Law defines any group of two or more people who act to influence the outcome of the vote on a ballot measure and spend at least $500 as a ballot group. Alaska ballot groups may accept unlimited contributions from lawful sources. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Alaska ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Alaska, ballot measures come in six forms: initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, bonding propositions, veto referenda, automatic ballot referrals, and advisory questions.
Organizational requirements
Alaska's Campaign Disclosure Law defines any group of two or more people who act to influence the outcome of the vote on a ballot measure and spend at least $500 as a ballot group. Ballot groups may support, sponsor, or oppose a referendum, initiative, or recall, or they may campaign for a constitutional convention. Ballot groups must register with the Public Offices Commission within 30 days of their first filing with the lieutenant governor. For groups initiating a ballot measure, the first filing is the date the group files the proposed language for an initiative and submits the required signatures of 100 supporters with the lieutenant governor or Division of Elections. For groups supporting or opposing a measure already on the ballot, the group must be registered with the commission before making an expenditure.[3]
Ballot groups must file a termination statement within 10 days of their final disbursement. Surplus funds may be donated to a 501(c)(3) charity, repaid to contributors, used for "a victory or thank you party," or left in an account if the group plans to remain active in a later election.[4]
Contribution limits
Ballot groups may accept contributions without limitations, including from corporations and unions. Ballot groups may also accept unlimited funds from sources outside of Alaska, except from foreign nationals. For all contributions, the group must report the name and address of the contributor. For contributions over $250, the group must report the name, address, employer, and occupation of the contributor.[3][5][6]
Reporting requirements
The reporting calendar for ballot groups differs depending on whether the group is initiating the measure or attempting to influence the vote on a measure. Ballot groups initiating a measure must file quarterly reports 10 days after the end of each quarter until 30 days before the election. All ballot groups must file pre-election and post-election reports. The first pre-election report is due 30 days before the election, and the second is due seven days before the election. Additionally, ballot groups must file a year-end report on February 15 of the year following the election. For all expenditures over $100, the group must report the name and address of recipient, as well as the purpose of the expenditure.[3]
Ballot groups must also file reports for any contributions received within nine days before the election worth over $250. These reports must be filed within 24 hours of receipt.[3]
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Alaska
In Alaska, there one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Alaska Public Offices Commission, which is "a quasi-judicial regulatory agency which administers four laws upholding the public's right to know the financial affairs of lobbyists and their employers, public officials and candidates for state and local offices.
Alaska Public Offices Commission
- 2221 E. Northern Lights, Rm. 128
- Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4149
- Telephone: 800-478-4176
- Email: apoc@alaska.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Alaska state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Alaska campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Alaska
- Campaign finance agencies in Alaska
- List of Alaska ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Alaska Department of Administation, "Campaign Disclosure Law," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Alaska Public Offices Commission, "2 AAC 50.384," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Alaska Department of Administration, "Contribution Limits," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Alaska Public Offices Commission, "Alaska Campaign Annual Contribution Limits," accessed December 14, 2015
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