Ballot access requirements for political parties in Alaska
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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.
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Although there are hundreds of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.
To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alaska, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: 15.80.008 and 15.80.010 of the Alaska Election Law
Definitions
A recognized political party in Alaska is an organized group of voters that represents a political program and has at least 5,000 registered voters in the state.[1][2][3][4]
A political group in Alaska is an organized group of voters seeking status as a recognized political party. A person affiliated with a political group may file a declaration of candidacy, to appear on the primary election ballot, in the same manner as a person who is affiliated with a political party.[1][2][4]
A limited political party in Alaska is a political group that organizes for the purpose of selecting candidates for electors for President and Vice President of the United States. A group may file a petition to become a limited political party, and maintains this status if its presidential candidate receives at least three percent of the votes.[1][2][4]
Requirements
To obtain recognized political party status, a political group must perform the following on or before May 31 of the election year for which the group seeks recognition:[4]
- File an application with the director of the Alaska Division of Elections requesting that the number of registered voters for their group be tracked
- Submit bylaws to the director and the United States Department of Justice
- Meet the statutory definition of a "political party" by fulfilling the criteria described above
Bylaws
As noted above, a political group seeking political party status must submit a notice, bylaws, and documentation to the director of the Alaska Division of Elections no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 1 of the calendar year before the year a primary election will be held. These materials must be provided by the party's chairperson or another party official designated by the party's bylaws. Party bylaws must be pre-cleared by the United States Department of Justice before submission. Documentation of the preclearance must accompany the submitted bylaws.[4]
Political parties
As of November 2023, there were five recognized political parties in Alaska. These are listed in the table below.[5]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Alaska | Link | Party platform |
| Alaskan Independence Party | Link | Party by-laws |
| Libertarian Party of Alaska | Link | Party by-laws |
| No Labels Party | Link | Party platform |
| Republican Party of Alaska | Link | Party platform |
Noteworthy events
Changes to ballot access requirements effective January 1, 2023
On May 17, 2022, the Alaska state legislature passed Senate Bill 161, which changed the statutory definition of a political party in Alaska. This resulted in a change to the ballot access requirements for political parties in the state. Before SB 161, political groups were required to have "registered voters in the state equal in number to at least three percent of the total votes cast for governor at the preceding general election" in order to become recognized political parties."[2] SB 161 changed this requirement to "at least 5,000 registered voters in the state."[3] The effective date for the changes made in SB 161 was January 1, 2023.[1][3]
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alaska
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Alaska
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Alaska
- Republican Party of Alaska
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Alaska Division of Elections, "Political Parties and Groups," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes AS 15.80.010(26) and (27)," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Alaska State Legislature, "Enrolled SB 161: Relating to the definition of 'political party'; and providing for an effective date," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes AS 15.80.008," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Political Parties and Groups in Alaska," accessed January 10, 2023
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