List of Alaska ballot measures
Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867, however, it did not become an incorporated territory of the United States until 1912.
A ballot measure can be created by either citizens or the legislature. Additionally, any constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Alaska requires a supermajority of the legislature's support and a simple majority of voters' support. Additionally, the constitution mandates that a referendum must be held every ten years on whether to hold a constitutional convention.
Alaska is one of two states that uses a ranked-choice voting system. The system was first implemented in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the 2022 special election for Alaska's at-large congressional district. In 2024, a measure to repeal the system narrowly failed.
As of 2024, a total of 212 measures have appeared on the ballot. 60 of them have failed and 152 have passed.
Background
The Constitution of Alaska, itself ratified by a vote of the people in 1956, outlined specific guidelines for ballot measures in Article XI, stating that "the people may propose and enact laws by the initiative, and approve or reject acts of the legislature by the referendum." Congress approved statehood in 1958 and when Alaska formally entered the union in 1959, it became the 20th state to have a system of direct voting.In 2004, the Alaskan Legislature took steps to limit the number of measures that could appear on the ballot each year. The new rules required that measures initiatives and referendums receive signatures from three-quarters of Alaska's legislative districts and increased the total number of signatures required to a tenth of voters in the most recent election.
In 2020, Alaska became the second state, after Maine, in the nation to adopt a ranked-choice voting system when Ballot Measure 2 passed by less than 4,000 votes. Implementation of this system was postponed while state courts processed several legal challenges, but the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the measure in January 2022. The system was first used in the 2022 special election primary. In 2024, a measure to repeal the system was held but failed by a margin of less than 700 votes.
Types of ballot measures
Citizen-initiated
There are two types of citizen-initiated ballot measures in Alaska. Both types must be proposed by a three-member committee of citizens and receive the qualifying amount of signatures within a year of the committee proposing the measure.- Initiatives are measures placed on the ballot in order to introduce and enact a new law without it going through the legislature. Initiatives may not be used to allocate funding, create new courts, or modify the jurisdiction of existing courts. If the state passes a law substantially similar to proposed initiatives, the petition will automatically be rendered void.
- Referendums are measures placed on the ballot in order to approve or reject an action taken by the state legislature. Referendums may not be used to allocate funding or modify laws necessary "for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety".
Legislature-initiated
There are two types of legislature-initiated ballot measures in Alaska.- Bond propositions are measures placed on the ballot to create general obligation bonds. The Constitution of Alaska requires that these bonds be ratified by a simple majority of voters after passing the legislature.
- Constitutional amendments are measures placed on the ballot to modify the Constitution of Alaska. Amendments to the constitution must receive a supermajority of the legislature's support and a simple majority of voters' support. Additionally, the Constitution of Alaska requires a referendum be held every ten years on whether to hold a constitutional convention.