Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vetoed a Democrat-led bill that sought to restrict the ability of Alaskans to support political campaigns by limiting how much money they could contribute.
“Alaska’s campaign finance laws should protect transparency and accountability,” Dunleavy noted in his July 9 veto explanation. “They should not limit the ability of Alaskans to support candidates they believe in while preserving an advantage for candidates wealthy enough to fund their own campaigns.”
Dunleavy said House Bill 16, which narrowly passed the Legislature, would place strict limits on contributions from individuals and groups, thereby giving an unfair advantage to self-funded candidates, who don’t need to rely on donations.
“That is not a fair balance,” Dunleavy added. “It restricts ordinary political participation while leaving personal wealth as a preferred path to political influence. This bill, if it became law, would radically tilt in the favor of the wealthy when it comes to elected office. Free speech and participation in elections should not depend on personal wealth.”
The bill passed the House on a 22-18 vote with GOP lawmakers Chuck Kopp, Justin Ruffridge and Louise Stutes breaking with Republicans to help Democrats approve the measure.
In the Senate, Republican lawmakers Jesse Bjorkman, Cathy Giessel and Gary Stevens sided with Democrats to pass the bill on a 12-8 vote.
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The bill required that any group making expenditures to support or oppose a candidate or ballot proposition maintain a physical address in Alaska or register as an in-state agent. It also would have imposed a $2,000 limit on what individuals could donate to their preferred candidates, while restricting group donations to $4,000. Nongroup entities would have been limited to $5,000 annual limits.
Previously, Alaska had tried to impose $500 annual limits, but this was struck down in federal court as unconstitutional. House Bill 16 was attempting to raise the limits in order to comply with the court decision, while still limiting political donations.
While the governor’s veto killed the bill, Alaska voters will weigh in on the issue later this year, as a ballot initiative is seeking to enact essentially the exact same measures as House Bill 16.
