A pair of ballot measures have enough public support to appear on this year’s Alaska election ballots, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom said by email Tuesday.
Official certification hasn’t yet taken place, but Dahlstrom said the ongoing signature-verification process shows that each has enough signatures from eligible voters to force a statewide vote.
One measure seeks to turn back the clock on Alaska’s elections system, returning it to what it was before 2020, when Alaskans voted to open the state’s primaries to all voters and to use a system of ranked choice sorting in the general election.
The other measure would raise the state’s minimum wage, mandate paid sick leave and prohibit employers from requiring workers to hear messages about politics or religion.
If the current legislative session lasts past April 22, the measures will appear on the November general election ballot. If the session adjourns before that date, they will appear on the August statewide primary ballot.
Petitioners needed to gather the signatures of 26,705 eligible Alaska voters, with a specified minimum number from at least 30 of the state’s 40 House districts.
Both ballot measures had at least 34,000 signatures and met the minimum district requirement as of Tuesday, the lieutenant governor said, and counting is expected to continue.
• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. This article originally appeared online at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.
