(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Although there is a long history of prior efforts to move Alaska's capital, supporters of a proposed initiative that would relocate meetings of the Alaska Legislature to Anchorage has been certified by Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer and sponsors can soon begin to gather signatures that would qualify the initiative for next year's ballot.

The primary sponsors of Voter Initiative 19 MALA, if approved would relocate the legislative sessions from Juneau to Anchorage, are David W. Bronson, Camille O. Carlson and Leona E. Oberts.

According to Lt. Meyer's certification letter to the sponsors dated April 3, 2019, based on the 2018 General Election, the sponsors of the relocation initiative will need to gather a total of 28,501 signatures from qualified Alaska voters to be placed on the ballot. The proposed estimated cost of this location would be well over $40,000,000, which is significantly lower than previous costs that were proposed to be as high as $966,000,000 on a 1966 ballot measure that would construct a new state capital building in Willow.

The primary sponsors of the initiative were notified by letter (PDF) by Lt. Governor Meyer the Division Elections determined that 191 of the 208 signatures submitted by the sponsors were those of qualified voters and the application had sufficient number of sponsors to now qualify for circulation of a petition to collect signatures in order to place the initiative on next year's ballot.

Lt. Governor Meyer wrote the Alaska Department of Law concluded after their review the proposed bill was in proper form and recommended the Lt. Gov. certify the initiative application. (Read the Dept. of Law's opinion)

The Alaska Legislative Affairs Agency prepared a statement of costs to implement this proposed ballot initiative to relocate legislative sessions. It was noted the cost statement did not take into account the economic and social impacts to Juneau and Southeast Alaska nor of the costs of maintaining any buildings left vacant in Juneau. For detailed information about the estimated costs read the Office of Management and Budget's Estimate of Costs for 19MALA. (PDF). The bottom line, the relocation from Juneau to Anchorage would cost well over $40 million. A very low figure compared to previous estimated costs - for example, in 1982 to relocate a "functional state capital" from Juneau to a new capital site in Willow" to be over $3 billion.

Next step, the Division of Election is now required to prepare booklets to allow for circulation of initiative information throughout the state. Each petition booklet will contain 1. a copy of the proposed bill; 2. an initial summary of the subject matter of the bill; 3) a statement of minimum costs to the state associated with the relocation of the legislative sessions from Juneau to Anchorage; 4) an estimated cost to the state to implement the proposed law; 5) the statement of warning prescribed by AS 15.45.100; 6) sufficient space for the personal information and signatures of each person signing the petition; and 7) other specification the Lt. Governor decides would ensure proper handling and control.

As soon as the booklets are available, the sponsors must file their initiative petition within one year from the date notice is given the booklets are ready for delivery. The sponsors must the gather signatures of Alaska qualified voters: 1) equal in number to 10 percent of those who voted in the preceding general election; 2) resident signatures representing at least 3/4 on the house districts of the state; and 3) who, in each of those house districts are equal in number to at least seven percent of those who voted in the preceding general election in that house district.

A History of Ballot Measures to Move the Capital from Juneau

There has been a long history of efforts to move the legislature from Juneau. During the August 1960 primary election, an attempt to move the capital to Cook Inlet, the Railbelt Area failed. In November 1962, another effort to relocate the capital from Juneau to western Alaska also was also rejected by the voters.

Then in August 1974, voters approved an initiative bill for construction of a new Alaska capital city at one of two sites to be nominated by a selection committee appointed by the Governor to be at least 30 miles from Anchorage or Fairbanks. In the November 1976 general election, voters chose Wilow over Larson Lake as the new capital site selection. And in the General Election of November 1978, voters approved the full bond-able costs of relocating the capital to Willow; however, on the same ballot, the bonding proposition for new state capital construction bonds of $966,000,000 was rejected by the voters bringing the construction a new capital site to an end - to date.

Then again, relocating the state capital reared its head in November 1982 which was also rejected by the voters. The estimated total to relocate a "functional state capital from Juneau to the new capital site of Willow" was $2,843,147,000.

Although the 1982 relocation to Willow was rejected by the voters, in the November 1994 General Election, voters again voted against changing the capital from Juneau to Wasilla. On that same ballot, voters overwhelming approved the initiative "Right to Know, Vote - Move Costs" requiring that before the state can spend money to move the capital or legislature, the voters must know the total costs, and approve a bond issue for all bond-able costs of the move for a 12 year period after approval.

And, yet again, the voters rejected an initiative ballot in November 2002 that would have moved all sessions of the state legislature to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough or if facilities were not fit for the legislative sessions in that area, to move the sessions to Anchorage. This rejected initiative would also have repealed the requirements that before the state could spend money to move the legislature, the voters must be informed of the total costs and approve all bond-able costs for the move.

From previous ballot measures, moving or relocating the capital primarily fails has been rejected by voters because of the cost and voters wanting to know the total costs before any relocation is made and bonding obligations.

Updated on Wednesday - April 17, 2019 to correct the names of the sponsors. The names were incorrect that were first published.

The names of the sponsors of Voter Initiative 19 MALA are David W. Bronson, Camille O. Carlson and Leona E. Oberts.

On the Web:

"An Initiative Requiring Meetings of the Alaska Legislature to be Held in Anchorage"
19 MALA (pdf)

Alaska Attorney General's Opinion - Alaska Department of Law (pdf)

Office of Management and Budget's Estimate of Costs for 19MALA (pdf)

A History of Ballot Measures to Move the Capital (Alaska Division of Elections)

 

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