Alaska 2016 ballot measures

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Two statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the Alaska ballot on November 8, 2016.

Ballot Measure 1, the Alaska Voter Registration Amendment was designed to allow individuals to register to vote when applying for permanent fund dividend, and was approved. Ballot Measure 2 was designed to allow state debt to be contracted for postsecondary student loans, and was defeated.

Supporters of two initiatives filed signatures for potential spots on the 2016 ballot in Alaska. The deadline for filing petition signatures was January 19, 2016. One initiated state statute, the Alaska Setnet Ban Initiative, was certified for the ballot. However, it was subsequently removed from the ballot by the Alaska Supreme Court prior to the election.

Citizens of Alaska may initiate legislation through the process of indirect initiative. In Alaska, successful petitions are first presented to the Alaska State Legislature. If the measure (or an equivalent measure) is not adopted, the law is then placed before voters. In Alaska, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendums. Alaska residents may not amend their constitution via initiative or directly initiate legislation.

The 2016 state legislative session ran from January 19 through April 17, 2016, during which time the Alaska State Legislature was able to place legislative referrals on the ballot. Article 13 of the Alaska Constitution specifies that a two-thirds vote of the Alaska State Legislature is required to refer an amendment to the ballot.

Historical facts

See also: History of Initiative & Referendum in Alaska and List of Alaska ballot measures

• A total of 53 measures have appeared on statewide ballots between 1996 and 2016.
• Between 1996 and 2016, an average of four measures appeared on the ballot in Alaska.
• From 1996 to 2016, the number of measures on a statewide ballot ranged from one to seven.
• Between 1996 and 2016, 30 of 53, or about 57 percent, of Alaska ballot measures were approved by voters, and 23 of 53, or about 43 percent, of measures were defeated.

On the ballot

See also: 2016 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndISS	Measure 1	Suffrage	Ability to register to vote when applying for permanent fund dividend	a
LRCA	Measure 2	Gov't finance	Allows state debt to be contracted for postsecondary student loans	d

Cost per required signatures

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2016 and CPRS analysis

The cost of an initiative or veto referendum petition drive can be measured in two key ways:

1. According to the total cost of gathering the required signatures to put the initiative or veto referendum on the ballot
2. According to the total cost divided by the number of signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot or Cost Per Required Signature (CPRS).

This data for Alaska initiatives and information about what petition drive companies were used are below:

Ballot Measure:	Topic:	Petition company	Cost	Signatures	CPRS
Alaska Ballot Measure 1	Voting policy measures	Scott Kohlhaas	$117,427.20	28,545	$4.11
Averages:	N/A	Scott Kohlhaas	$117,427.20	N/A	$4.11

Not on ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndISS	Setnet Ban Initiative	Fishing	Bans the use of set nets in urban areas
IndISS	Criminal Penalties for Public Officials Initiative	Gov't acc	Imposes criminal penalties on public officials for nepotism
LRCA	Definition of Marriage Amendment	Marriage & family	Repeals the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman
LRCA	Judicial Council Amendment	Judiciary	Relates to the membership, terms and confirmation of the judicial council
LRCA	Appropriations from Alaska Permanent Fund Amendment	Gov't Finances	Limits appropriations from Alaska permanent fund
LRCA	Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund Amendment	Gov't Finances	Adjusts amount of money that can be appropriated from the CBR Fund
LRCA	Legislative Term Limits Amendment	Term Limits	Expands on term limits for state legislators
LRCA	Elected Attorney General Amendment	State Exec	Makes Attorney General an elected position
LRCA	Guaranteed Permanent Fund Dividend Amendment	Gov't Finances	Establish earnings reserve account for the permanent fund dividend

State profile

Demographic data for Alaska
	Alaska	U.S.
Total population:	737,709	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	570,641	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	66%	73.6%
Black/African American:	3.4%	12.6%
Asian:	5.9%	5.1%
Native American:	13.8%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	1.2%	0.2%
Two or more:	8.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	6.5%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	92.1%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	28%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$72,515	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	11.3%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alaska. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Alaska

Alaska voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Alaska coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Alaska
• United States congressional delegations from Alaska
• Public policy in Alaska
• Endorsers in Alaska
• Alaska fact checks
• More...

See also

• 2016 ballot measures
• List of Alaska ballot measures
• Alaska signature requirements
• Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Alaska

External links

Suggest a link

• Alaska Secretary of State - Petitions and Ballot Issues
• Alaska Regions 2016 Official Election Pamphlets