t

Opinion: We do not need to convene a constitutional convention

Ways to amend the constitution already exist.

  • By Laraine Derr
  • Monday, September 5, 2022 12:25pm
  • Opinion

Have you read the constitution of our great state of Alaska? I have been reading articles published in various places, opinions of well-respected citizens and letters to the editors regarding the need for a convention to review that document. There have been arguments both positive and negative to support the 10-year review process built in to the constitution. To assist me in making a determination, I decided to read it.

I have always had a copy of the U.S. Constitution on my living room cabinet, a document of about 4,500 words, and have read it several times. I realized I have never read the entire Alaska Constitution and therefore couldn’t argue with some of the points people were making — so I decided to do so.

I went to ltgov.alaska.gov where the entire document as it was written can be found. It is a very easy site to maneuver. Tap on any of the 15 articles, and then any of the paragraphs, and very succinct descriptions will appear. While more than twice as wordy as the U.S. Constitution, our constitution sets out our direction in a completely understandable fashion.

There have been changes over the years. Some have been made by ballot initiative and some have been made by legislative referral. It has been amended 28 times, from the first amendment in 1966 regarding the residence requirement to vote for president to the last one in 2004 regarding the distribution requirement for initiatives. Reading the Alaska State Constitution reinforced my belief that the authors of our constitution did a great job.

So, my conclusion in deciding how to vote on this question of “Shall there be a Constitutional Convention” will be no. Read our constitution, read the amendments and hopefully you will decide that ways to amend the constitution already exist and we do not need to convene another gathering.

• Laraine Derr is a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue, 15-year trustee of Alaska Mental Health Health Trust, received an honorary doctorate from University of Alaska Southeast and is the former owner and operator of Chez Alaska Cooking School. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

Juneau Assembly members cast a 6-3 informal vote on Nov. 6 in favor of the city’s tourism director exploring a strategy for 2026 and beyond that results in fewer annual cruise visitors. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Assembly vote to reduce cruise ships risks sending taxes even higher

During a Nov. 6 Committee of the Whole meeting, Assembly members voted… Continue reading

A by-mail ballot asks voters in 2020 to approve a measure calling for rank choice voting, which was approved. A petition is now circulating calling for another ballot measure to repeal rank choice. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Failed election shows why Alaska should repeal ranked-choice voting

Most Americans just want elections where it’s easy to vote, hard to… Continue reading

Visitors take a selfie on the downtown cruise ship docks in July. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Know who you’re sitting with at the table

As a professional who has sat at many a negotiating table, I… Continue reading

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers remarks at the Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans event Thursday, July 16, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo | Joyce N. Boghosian)
Opinion: A constitutional defense of the administrative state

In the summer of 2020, then-Vice President Mike Pence told an audience… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch in 2018. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Assembly needs to retreat

We might not be privy to what the Assembly’s agenda is, but… Continue reading

The Stikine River Flats area in the Tongass National Forest is viewed from a helicopter on July 19, 2021. The Stikine River flows from British Columbia to Southeast Alaska. It is one of the major transboundary rivers impacted by mines in British Columbia. (Photo by Alicia Stearns/U.S. Forest Service)
Opinion: Facing transboundary mining, Alaskans shouldn’t buy industry rhetoric

“Rest assured,” writes Michael Goehring, president of the British Columbia Mining Association,… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Letter: Attorney general’s letter to libraries are an abuse of office

Earlier this month Treg Taylor, Alaska’s attorney general, published a letter to… Continue reading

An aging outhouse overlooks Tenakee Inlet. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
My Turn: Murkowski’s bill will dramatically change map of public land in Southeast Alaska

There has been very little reporting on federal legislation that would greatly… Continue reading

Most Read