Ranked choice repealers face more fines for campaign finance violations
State political campaign regulators issued another heavy penalty this week against the organizers of a failed campaign that sought to repeal Alaska's ranked choice voting system.
On Monday, the Alaska Public Offices Commission fined Alaskans for Honest Elections, Alaskans for Honest Government, the Ranked Choice Education Association and Arthur Matthias a combined total of almost $157,000.
That comes after a prior fine of more than $94,000.
The prior fine has been appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court, but in this week's order, the Alaska Public Offices Commission ruled that the failed petitioners still have not filed financial disclosure forms mandated under the previous citation.
'We agree that the respondents are violating the prior order and the law, conclude that their appeal of some issues in prior order does not excuse their lack of compliance, and impose civil penalties for the ongoing and new violations,' the commission's order states in part.
The three groups and one individual cited by the commission were instrumental in the signature gathering before last year's Ballot Measure 2, which sought to repeal Alaska's system of open primary elections and a ranked choice general election.
In November, Alaska voters voted down the repeal by about 0.2% of 320,985 votes cast.
The organizers of the failed measure had said they intended to launch another repeal campaign for the 2026 election but canceled those plans in favor of a campaign run by the Alaska Republican Party, which continues to pursue repeal.
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Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Alaska Gov. Dunleavy asks some lawmakers to stay away from special session he called
Gov. Mike Dunleavy discusses proposed education legislation at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon) In a meeting with Republican members of the Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy had what he called an 'unorthodox' request. He asked that the 19 members of the House's Republican minority caucus stay away from the first five days of a special legislative session he called for Aug. 2 in Juneau. Under the Alaska Constitution, the Legislature must vote to override or sustain a governor's vetoes in the first regular or special session following the vetoes. If those Republicans are absent, it increases the odds that his vetoes will be sustained. An absence is as good as a 'no' vote when it comes to getting the 45 votes needed to override a veto of line items in a budget bill or the 40 votes needed to override a veto of a policy bill. In May, lawmakers voted 46-14 to override Dunleavy's veto of a policy bill that permanently increases the state's public-school funding formula. Eight of the 19 House minority members voted for the override. Now, they're being asked whether to override the governor's decision to only partially fund that formula. The governor's opponents will have a difficult task. Some lawmakers, including Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, are expected to be unavailable for the special session. Dunbar has been deployed with the National Guard in Poland. Others may have family commitments that are obstacles to attending. If minority-caucus legislators heed the governor's request and avoid the special session, they will be largely immune to last-minute lobbying by their colleagues or members of the public. 'If you want the veto override to fail, when we're talking about less than $50 million here on a multibillion-dollar budget, I guess you pull out every stop, and this is a stop that I've not seen pulled out by any governor,' said Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham and a supporter of the override. Reporters were not invited to the meeting between the governor and the House minority, but Jeff Turner, the governor's communications director, confirmed the details, first reported by KTUU-TV. 'Governor Dunleavy asked house minority members to not show up for the first five days of session because like any governor, he does not want his vetoes overturned,' he said by email. Dunleavy has designated education policy and the creation of a Department of Agriculture as the subjects of the special session. Turner said the governor planned to introduce an education bill for lawmakers to consider during the session. 'Arriving on the sixth day also means legislators begin the session with a clean slate for conversations on public education reform policies. The Governor is also willing to reinstate the $200 BSA increase, if he and lawmakers can reach an agreement on the education bill he will introduce next month,' Turner said. House Minority Leader Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, did not return a call seeking comment, but other members of the minority spoke freely about the governor's request. 'I will use the governor's exact word: Unorthodox. It was definitely an unorthodox request that took me by surprise,' said Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna. While the governor's official special session proclamation lists education and a proposed Alaska Department of Agriculture on its agenda, 'he was very clear that a big portion of the strategy for him was, he did not want to be overridden on anything: bills, budget, all of it.' Ruffridge voted in favor of the prior override and indicated that he's willing to vote the same way in a special session. 'I've taken the approach sort of since day one, that if I vote yes on something, that my yes means something, I know that probably doesn't always align with the political winds that might blow, but I think that's something that my constituents at least respect,' he said. Ruffridge said he absolutely intends to show up at the special session. 'If a special session is called, I think all representatives and senators have an obligation to attempt to be there, if at all possible,' Ruffridge said. 'I think that's part of what we signed up for when we signed up to do the job. And I mean, if you're not going to show up, I think essentially, you're just afraid of taking hard votes at that point.' Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, has a different perspective. 'I think that's fine,' she said of the governor's request. 'It costs a lot of money. It's $300 per diem per day. 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The multipartisan House majority caucus controls the legislative agenda, and it isn't clear that there is sufficient common ground between the majority and the governor to enable progress. Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, said she's still considering her options and is undecided about whether to travel to Juneau. Before the House minority's meeting with the governor, Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, said he doesn't see the governor's call for a special session as significantly different from legislative committees' attempts to advance or derail legislation by using legislative procedures or schedules. He pointed to the way that the Senate Finance Committee has used take-it-or-leave-it tactics with regard to the state budget. Rep. Elexie Moore of Wasilla said she's likely to attend in order to vote against an override and to sustain the governor's veto. Earlier this year, she was absent from the Capitol on a day that unexpectedly brought a key vote on the Permanent Fund dividend. She was dragged on social media for three weeks afterward, she said by phone. People expect their legislators to be in the Capitol, she said, and most people aren't able to follow the maneuvering that might explain an absence. 'I think that's the perspective of somebody who doesn't understand what it means not to go,' Allard said when told about Moore's thinking. '(Not attending the session) means that you're a no vote. But if she wants to go and spend, you know, $5,000 to $10,000 in taxpayer money, that's fine. I understand she was dragged on social media, but those were some bad decisions that were made — not necessarily by her — but on information about what she was doing. But I would recommend that she stay with the caucus and don't go down there.' 'I think it's a good idea,' said Rep. Mike Prax, R-North Pole, about the governor's request. Prax supports the governor's position and said he believes the special session is a good idea, because it settles the school funding issue early. Without a special session, lawmakers would have to wait until January to decide whether to override or sustain the governor's decisions. The Fairbanks North Star Borough school board voted in June to finalize a budget that expects lawmakers to override the governor. If an override fails, Prax said, it's better that it fails early, so the district can change its budget before school begins. While members of the House and Senate majority caucuses have indicated that they intend to take up only the veto overrides during the special session, Prax said he hopes lawmakers will stay and consider education policy. While lawmakers have convened an education task force to discuss future changes, he doubts the effectiveness of that group, given the Legislature's failure to adopt the recommendations of a prior fiscal policy working group. 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The Hill
28-06-2025
- The Hill
Senate Republicans' new SNAP proposal prompts GOP concern
A GOP-backed proposal that would shift some of the cost of food assistance to states for the first time is drawing renewed concern in the party, as critics argue the effort could lead to states cutting benefits on their own. Republicans are pushing to pass the proposal — which could see states with higher payment error rates covering a greater share of benefit costs — as a part of the broader spending cuts and tax package in the coming days. But that doesn't mean some Republicans aren't concerned about the measure. 'Our big thing is the data to be used, the data to be used on the error rate,' Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.) told The Hill on Friday. 'So, that's important to make sure that the data is as accurate and reflective of the year you're judging as possible.' Numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed Alaska's payment error rate — which factors in overpayment and underpayment error rates — hit above 60 percent in fiscal year 2023. The national average hit at 11.68 percent. Sullivan noted the state has seen much lower payment error rates prior to the pandemic and is on a path to improving those figures, noting new numbers are expected soon. But he added, 'It's still higher than our traditional error rate, and as you know, the cost share is based in part on that.' According to the Alaska Beacon, the state's error rate hiked after state officials said they violated federal rules in order to continue feeding people amid a significant backlog in applications. Under the initial plan crafted by the Senate Agriculture Committee, Republicans sought to require states to cover some of the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if they have a payment error rate above 6 percent beginning in fiscal 2028. The proposal in the megabill would also allow states with rates below that level to continue paying zero percent. It also proposes states with higher payment error rates cover a greater share of benefit costs. If the error rate is 6 percent or higher, states would be subject to a sliding scale that could see their share of allotments rise to a range of between 5 percent and 15 percent. However, Senate Republicans tweaked the plan after facing a setback when their 'state cost-share' proposal was rejected by the chamber's rules referee as part of a megabill the party hopes to pass in the coming days. A release from the agriculture committee said the updated plan would allow states to choose the payment error either fiscal year 2025 or 2026 to 'calculate their state match requirement that begins in Fiscal Year 2028.' For the following fiscal year, the 'state match will be calculated using the payment error rate from three fiscal years prior,' the committee said, adding a 'state must contribute a set percentage of the cost of its SNAP benefits if its payment error rate exceeds six percent.' Asked about further potential changes to the plan, Agriculture chairman Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Friday that negotiators 'worked really hard to try and get a situation that worked for as many people as we could, and I think we've achieved that.' 'Alaska is a unique state, unique situation, so I know that everybody's trying to work hard to accommodate situations that don't fit,' Boozman said Friday afternoon. 'So, I haven't heard of any changes, and I'm sure that, you know, [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune [(R-S.D.)] will grab me if that comes about.' Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.) also expressed concerns about the proposal, telling reporters earlier on Friday that she's raised them with others in the party, according to Politico. Asked briefly about the party's SNAP proposal later, Murkowski told The Hill, 'We're still in trouble on SNAP.' 'The implementation is still next to impossible for us,' she said. Republicans say the states' cost-share proposal would incentivize states to improve their error rates. But Sullivan and Murkowski aren't the only Republicans who have voiced concerns about the effort in recent weeks. Originally, the House plan called for all states to cover 5 percent of the cost of allotments in its initial version of Trump's megabill, with states that had higher payment error rates having to pay anywhere between 15 percent and 25 percent. However, the proposal was dialed back after concerns from other Republicans, including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and Jim Justice (W. Va.) over the measure. Asked if he's meeting with Boozman or Thune on the matter, Sullivan also told The Hill on Friday evening that he's 'meeting with everybody.' 'For me, it's just important to get the data as close to the date that you're judging,' Sullivan said, adding that he expects Alaska to see a notable drop in its error rate in a coming report.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Alaska House Judiciary Committee to hold a fact-finding hearing on ICE detention in state prisons
The entrance to the Anchorage Correctional Complex is seen on Aug. 29, 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing June 20 on the use of Alaska Department of Corrections facilities to house and supervise federal detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The announcement comes following news of DOC holding 42 people arrested and detained by ICE from out of state over the weekend, housed at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, amid a nationwide immigration crackdown. DOC is currently housing 39 ICE detainees, according to a department spokesperson on Friday. Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, chair of the judiciary committee, said the goal is to gather information on the terms and conditions of detention for the state detaining people for ICE. 'It's really more a fact-finding hearing just to make sure that we understand exactly what's happening in a situation that, to my knowledge, hasn't happened before,' Gray said in a phone interview Thursday. 'Some of the concerns that we have that we're just curious to learn more about are how much contact they have with their families, with legal representation, and access to medical care,' he said. 'Those sorts of things are things that we want to make sure that they have.' The hearing is planned for June 20 at 1 p.m. at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office, and will be streamed live on the Legislature's website and Gavel Alaska. The committee has invited officials with the Department of Corrections, Department of Law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and attorneys representing several of the men to present. Gray pointed to immigration status as a civil legal issue, and not a criminal one. 'And my limited understanding of what's happening in DOC right now with these detainees is that they are not being afforded those additional rights and freedoms that would come to someone who would be at an ICE detention facility,' he said. ICE has not responded to multiple requests for comment, including on what criminal or civil charges are being brought against the men. One man being held in Alaska custody, Albert Khamitov, was granted asylum by an immigration judge for ''clear evidence of state sponsored persecution' of LGBTQ+ people in Russia,' the Seattle Times has reported. The U.S. government appealed that asylum decision and he has remained in detention while fighting the case. Gray said he's been speaking with several attorneys representing the men currently detained, who have raised the issue of whether they are receiving adequate translation services while in Alaska custody. Gray said he's been told DOC staff are using Google Translate to communicate with detainees, which he said is inadequate. 'I want to hear from DOC, I want them to talk about how they're handling this issue. But the fear is that folks have been removed to Alaska, cannot communicate with the people who are, you know, managing them, and have no way of contacting their friends and family from where they came,' he said. 'I just can't imagine what that must be like for them. So I hope that my fear is unfounded.' DOC spokesperson Betsy Holley said Friday via email that the department is using translation services. 'We have long had, and utilize professional translation services: Language Link, Language Line Services, Alaska Interpreting Alliance, and Big Language Solutions,' she said. 'Additionally, we have many bilingual staff members. The facility chooses the service based on availability at the time the need arises.' The department did not respond to requests for comment on the concerns around conditions of detention, access to communication with families and attorneys, as well as access to medical care, by Friday at 4 p.m. Gray said he's also concerned about the state's risk for potential litigation around standards of detention. 'Our facilities were not designed for this. Our personnel were not trained for this,' Gray said. 'My fear is that there's going to be some very well-founded litigation about these folks being here that the state is going to have to pay for. It is not going to break even. This is going to end up costing Alaska a lot of money, is my fear.' Questions remain around why the men were transferred to Alaska from the Tacoma ICE Detention Facility, as two men were transferred back to Washington state within one day, according to the Department of Corrections. 'There are rights that are guaranteed to people in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, a person cannot be incarcerated without knowing what the charges are against them, without the right to legal representation, without the right to defend themselves,' Gray said. 'I have fear that these folks aren't being awarded these rights as they should be, but I will reserve judgment.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
