The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) ruled in favor of former U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka in allegations made by the pro-ranked choice voting group, Alaskans for Better Elections (ABE), against both her and an organization she leads, Preserve Democracy.
APOC staff initially recommended that APOC commissioners fine Preserve Democracy more than $23,000 for language on a website that said election systems should be “easy to understand and accessible to everyone.”
Tshibaka appealed the issue to the commission, arguing that the staff’s recommended fine violated her constitutional rights because it was not based on the website language, but based on free speech comments she made opposing ranked-choice voting at events not covered by APOC’s jurisdiction.
Tshibaka also pointed out that APOC’s attorneys argued in favor of her same position before the Alaska Supreme Court last fall, saying that it only has the right to regulate expenditures that exhort Alaskans to vote for or against ballot measures. Since the website said nothing to Alaskans about how to vote and there is no matter pending on a ballot about RCV, Tshibaka argued APOC has no jurisdiction and regulating her speech is therefore a violation of her First Amendment rights.
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The APOC Commission agreed with Tshibaka and completely dismissed ABE’s allegations and the staff’s recommended fine. The commission also found no evidence that Tshibaka ever operated as a lobbyist. The Commission further determined that Tshibaka and Preserve Democracy ran a non-partisan get-out-the-vote campaign that did not trigger APOC reporting requirements.
“Today is a victory for the Constitution,” Tshibaka said. “It is the responsibility of the American People to protect Free Speech from being trampled by government. In this case, APOC’s staff were spurred along by ranked-choice voting advocates to trample on the free speech protections of the Constitution. But Preserve Democracy and I took a stand for free speech by challenging this government overreach. Fortunately, the APOC Commissioners saw through ABE’s disinformation, unconstitutional attacks, and frivolous allegations to discern the truth and protect all of our constitutional rights.”
17 Comments
Good to hear! APOC staff needs to be fired. Bunch of lefty extremists draining conservative bank accounts with unfounded lawsuits. Looking forward to a day with counter lawsuits or lengthy prison sentences for the lefty extremists.
Why don’t you just move to Russia ? It sounds like you’d be much happier living under their system where eliminating political opponents is SOP.
Eliminate political opponents? Project much lefty? How about the fact that your Resident in the Big House that is doing everything under the sun that he can do to keep President Trump from being on the ballot and running against him or the demonrat party?
Your a comi fool Vlad you move to Russia.
That was a good rally where Kelly’s photo comes from. ‘run boy run’
https://youtu.be/kbHGvBegWxo?si=tbQzzw6g1WkJruHf
Get rid of political rivals? Lefty project to the max? What about the fact that your resident in the White House is doing every effort possible to prevent President Trump from facing opposition from him or space bar clicker ?
Good to hear indeed.
More lawfare from outside leftist colonizers. A pox on their houses. RCV has got to go.
One person. One vote. All counted in one day.
Tshibaka has the inside information on election fraud yet refuses to expose it! We’ve seen this repeatedly! I won’t trust her until she reveals! Beware!
Dave, everybody wants to see an un redacted copy of that report. But is it Kelly’s to release or the Lt Governor’s? For her to release it might be illegal. She was an employee of the State when it was written so it may be State Property or something like that. I understand there are redacted copies that are around. Anyway, I think the Lt Governor is the one who is responsible now.
And your point is that dunleavy is a fraud?!
If so I adamantly agree!
Meanwhile:
“Alaska ranked choice voting opponents fined over $94K for campaign ethics violations
Alaska’s campaign ethics commission found that a ballot group illegally funneled its funding through a tax-exempt church.” -ADN JAN 4
This is all a tit-for-tat Lucinda. The Pro-RCV group Alaskans for better elections knows that they are going to lose this if it gets on the ballot and they need to make Alaskans For Honest Elections hurt. I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that the Pro-RCV group Alaskans for better elections were doing the same things that Alaskans For Honest Elections was doing. So, a complaint has been filed against Alaskans for better elections and, in my opinion, since they were doing the same thing, they should have to pay a fine also. We’ll find out how honest APOC is. (https://alaskawatchman.com/2023/12/05/group-seeking-to-repeal-ranked-choice-voting-blasts-desperate-attempt-to-halt-signature-gathering-efforts/)
Kelly, who so proudly filled Trump’s qualifications when he said “Get any candidate ready, good or bad, I don’t care, I’m endorsing. If you have a pulse, I’m with you!”
Kelly claims that RCV was a little too difficult for her supporters to understand while her opponents’ supporters were able to grasp the idea without any trouble.
The opponents’ supporters did not have to know anything. It was all rigged. Sleepy Joe Biden is always saying that It’s not who votes, but who counts the votes that matters! When we have one day voting with hand counting and results at the end of the night, it is going to be a glorious day and that day is coming soon!
It is telling that the APOC initially sought to fine Tshibaka, but it took an appeal to APOC to reverse the decision. The same commission was unquestionably given the same information, but clearly using smaller words to describe its’ constitutional standing, then just reversed itself. The APOC is predisposed to undermine anything quasi-conservative, in favor of all things left. I imagine this was a matter of Tshibaka’s quick and effective protest that caused the APOC to back down. Let there be a lesson here.
https://www.adn.com/politics/2024/01/04/alaska-ranked-choice-voting-opponents-fined-over-94k-for-campaign-ethics-violations/
This is all a tit-for-tat Tom Hayden. The Pro-RCV group Alaskans for better elections knows that they are going to lose this if it gets on the ballot and they need to make Alaskans For Honest Elections hurt. I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that the Pro-RCV group Alaskans for better elections were doing the same things that Alaskans For Honest Elections was doing. So, a complaint has been filed against Alaskans for better elections and, in my opinion, since they were doing the same thing, they should have to pay a fine also. We’ll find out how honest APOC is. (https://alaskawatchman.com/2023/12/05/group-seeking-to-repeal-ranked-choice-voting-blasts-desperate-attempt-to-halt-signature-gathering-efforts/)