Alaska

Independent candidate Ralph Nader will appear with his running mate on the Alaska ballot for president. The Alaska campaign chairman Sam Dunham said Friday that the Division of Elections has certified over 5,000 petition signatures from Alaska voters, passing the 3,128 signatures necessary to put Nader's name on the ballot. In 2000, Nader won three precincts in Alaska (Haines, Girdwood, and Talkeetna), and earned over 10 percent of the vote. Nader expects to be on 45 state ballots, plus the District of Columbia, in the November election.^[1]

In the wake of Obama's speech officially accepting the presidential nomination, McCain announced Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President. Palin, a former city councilwoman, Alaskan mayor, star high school basketball player and beauty queen, is a Republican political rebel of sorts; in 2005-06 she ran on a reform ticket without her party's support, and ousted Democrat Tony Knowles. Palin has had approval ratings in Alaska of 70-80%, and is known for being down-to-earth; she sold the previous incumbent's jet to fly commercially, is the mother of five, and is married to a native Alaskan, Todd Palin, a seasonal fisherman and an oil field worker offseason. She is an avid NRA and prolife supporter.^[2]

On Tuesday August 26, all 4 of the proposed amendments on the ballot failed. With 98% of precincts reporting, Amendment One, Gambling Commission, failed with 38% for and 62% against. Amendment 2, Wolf Protection, failed with 44% for and 56% against. Amendment 3, Clean Elections, failed with 35% for and 65% against. Amendment 4, Clean Water, failed with 43% for and 57% against.^[3]

On Monday August 4, The state of Alaska has sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne over his listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Gov. Sarah Palin announced the lawsuit, saying, "We believe that the Service's decision to list the polar bear was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available." Many officials worry that the listing will hinder offshore oil and gas development in the areas most populated by polar bears under US jurisdiction. Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity was the lead author of the petition that led to the May 14 listing of the polar bear as threatened. She called the lawsuit "completely ridiculous and a waste of the court's time." The lawsuit was filed in Washington, D.C. It claims the federal analysis didnt thoroughly consider polar bear survival through earlier warming periods in past centuries.^[4]

On Friday, June 20, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that a voter initiative is invalid because it exceeded local goverment power. The initiative gained momentum in regards to big box stores in Kechemak Bay, a seaside town which receives a lot of tourist traffic. The controversy began in 2002 when Fred Meyer Inc. announced plans to build a 95,000 square foot store, three times larger than any existing commercial building. The 2004 initiative set the floor area of stores to a 66,000 square feet limit, and the city council of Homer passed an ordinance in accordance with the voter-passed initiative. Citizen activist Frank Griswold challenged the initiative, stating that the initiative process couldn't be a tool for changing the city's zoning code. Although Supreme Court Justice Walter Carpeneti sided with the initiative, the majority of the Alaska Supreme Court decided otherwise. However, the controversy is likely to continue. "We will be back to debating box store sizes again. There is a segment of the community that is really wishing that Fred Meyer was here," Homer City Manager Walte Wrede said.^[5]

Recently, the House Finance Committee, led by North Pole Republican Rep. John Coghill and House Majority Leader Ralph Samuels, R-Anchorage, added an item to the capital budget on April 10, 2008, giving the governor's office $25,000 to educate the public about current mining activities and regulations, "including providing information to influence the outcome of an election on initiatives."^[6] The taxpayer funded lobbying has been under fire since the revelation.

The Clean Elections Act, an act that would provide public funding for political campaigns, had enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot as reported on March 11, 2008. It will be appearing on the August 26th primary ballot.^[7]

House Joint Resolution 2 was recently proposed in the Alaska House. HJR 2 is a legislative referral that would enact a constitutional amendment to demand a public vote before any gambling for profit can be legalized in Alaska on a statewide or community basis. Many believe the resolution is a movement to shut down the Gaming commission initiative.

• Alaska 2008 ballot measures
• Alaska ballot measures by year, from 1960-2008

• Alaska local ballot measures

• Procedures for qualifying an initiative in Alaska
• Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska
• Alaska signature requirements
• Laws governing recall in Alaska
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Alaska
• Alaska campaign finance requirements

• Alaska vote fraud

• Alaska newspapers and blogs
• Alaska political consultants
• Alaska political organizations
• Alaska ballot activists

• Alaska House Bill 402

• About Alaska
• Alaska's official website
• Lieutenant Governor's web site

• Alaska Lieutenant Governor, who covers most of the duties performed by the Secretary of State in most other states
• Alaska Attorney General

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