Curveball vote could snarl effort to reimpose campaign finance restrictions in Alaska
The Alaska Legislature has approved new limits on the amount of money that can be donated to political candidates, but opponents of those limits are seeking to start those rules in the middle of the current election, something that could lead to a lawsuit that snarls the new rules altogether.
In a 21-19 vote on Wednesday, the Alaska House voted to advance House Bill 16, sending it to Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The Senate approved the bill on a 12-8 vote late Tuesday.
If Dunleavy vetoes the bill, a substantially similar measure will be presented to voters on the August primary election ballot. If he signs the bill or allows it to become law without his signature, the ballot measure likely would be removed from the August vote because Article XI, Section 4 of the Alaska Constitution says passage of a law “substantially similar” to an upcoming ballot measure will cancel the vote.
As written, HB 16 would take effect Jan. 1, after the 2026 elections.