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Signature requirements for ballot measures in Alaska
This page provides an overview of signature requirements for statewide citizen-initiated measures in Alaska. In Oklahoma, citizens can initiate two types of ballot measures—state statutes and veto referendums.
Requirements
The number of signatures required to qualify initiated state statutes or veto referendums for the ballot is based on the total number of votes cast in the last general election. For both initiatives and referendums, signatures equal to 10 percent of these votes are required to put the proposal before voters.
The chart below shows election years and the signature requirement for initiatives designed to appear on the ballot in that year.
| Year | Initiated statute | Veto referendum |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34,098 | 34,098 |
| 2024 | 26,705 | 26,705 |
| 2022 | 36,140 | 36,140 |
| 2020 | 28,501 | 28,501 |
| 2018 | 32,127 | 32,127 |
| 2016 | 28,545 | 28,545 |
| 2014 | 30,169 | 30,169 |
| 2012 | 25,875 | 25,875 |
| 2010 | 32,734 | 32,734 |
| 2008 | 23,831 | 23,831 |
See law: Alaska Statutes, Sec. 15.45.140
Changes in number of signatures
The chart below illustrates the changes in the number of required signatures for Alaska ballot measures from 2008 to 2024. The number required is 10 percent of the votes cast in the preceding general election. For example, the number of ballots cast in the 2022 general election determines the signature requirement for 2024 ballot initiatives.
Basis of calculation
The basis for signature calculation in Alaska is 10 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last general election. The following numbers of total votes cast in each year listed:
| Year | Votes cast |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 340,981 |
| 2024 | 267,047 |
| 2022 | 361,400 |
| 2020 | 285,009 |
Geographic distribution
- See also: Distribution requirement
Signatures equal to 7 percent of the total district vote in the last general election must be collected in each of three-fourths of the 40 Alaska House districts.
An older, less restrictive, distribution requirement was changed by a legislatively referred ballot measure on the November 2004 ballot, the Distribution Requirement for Initiatives Act. That measure was approved with 51.7 percent of the vote. The older requirement mandated that proponents collect at least one petition signature from each of two-thirds of Alaska's 40 state house districts.
See law: Alaska Statutes, Sec. 15.45.140; Alaska Distribution Requirement for Initiatives, Measure 1 (2004)
Signature deadlines
The deadline to submit signatures for an initiative is 365 days after petition booklets for a proposed initiative are issued by the state's division of elections. The deadline is different for each initiative. Moreover, initiative signatures must be submitted before the beginning of the legislative session in January.
For a referendum in Alaska, petition signatures must be submitted 90 days after the end of the legislative session in which the targeted bill was approved.
| Year | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 2024 | January 16, 2024 |
| 2022 | January 18, 2022 |
| 2020 | January 21, 2020 |
| 2018 | January 9, 2018 |
| 2016 | January 19, 2016 |
Recall
Recall petitions must be signed by qualified voters equal in number to 25 percent of those who voted in the preceding general election in the district of the official to be recalled. Judicial officers cannot be recalled.
See also
- Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Alaska
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alaska
External links
Footnotes
