Stand for Alaska APOC Complaint Alleges Violations by Opposition
September 20, 2018
The complaint, filed this afternoon, asks APOC to hold an emergency hearing within 48-hours to consider expediting consideration of the formal complaint alleging violations of Alaska campaign laws. In its filing, the group says quick action on the complaint is warranted because the groups supporting Ballot Measure 1 are acting “to withhold from Alaska voters the source of their funding which they have used to advocate in support of Ballot Measure 1.” The No campaign says the proponent’s failure to disclose campaign donors could cause “irreparable harm” by denying voters vital information they need to know before they vote November 6. Much of the formal complaint targets an Alaska environmental advocacy and lobbying organization called The Alaska Center. The complaint asserts that The Alaska Center has failed to report both the full amount and the true source of the campaign contributions it has received to fund its campaign activities and that, based on its campaign activities, it has violated state campaign law by failing to file as a “group,” which requires additional disclosures under state law. The filing also says that The Alaska Center and two other entities engaged in supporting Ballot Measure 1 - Stand for Salmon and Yes for Salmon - have actively coordinated in their campaigns and should be registered collectively as one group. The complaint also alleges that the Stand for Salmon organization has failed to use the required “paid for by” disclosure statements in its paid advertising.
Ryan Schryver, Director of Stand for Salmon responded to a request by SitNews to comment on the APOC compliant filed by Stand for Salmon on Thursday. This story was updated Friday, 09/21/18 to include his comments. Schryver said, "These are baseless allegations from a struggling campaign. They’ve spent millions of dollars on commercials trying convince Alaskans to vote against our own economic best interests but Alaskans aren’t buying what they’re selling, so now they’re trying to change the subject." "Stand for Salmon strives for transparency. We have nearly 1,000 Alaskan donors investing in a fight for the future of one of our most valued resources. They have a handful of Outside corporations looking out for their own pocketbooks. We want Alaskans to know who is behind this campaign and have worked with APOC every step of the way to make sure our reporting is as accurate as possible," said Schryver. Kati Capozzi campaign manager for Stand for Alaska-Vote No on 1 said their complaint filing is intended to highlight the proponents’ failure to comply with Alaska campaign laws and focus on the Outside, dark money funding the proponents’ campaigns. “Alaska voters have the right to know where campaigns receive their funding and the State has the duty to enforce finance laws that require transparency.” Stand for Alaska—Vote No on 1 was formed last October to oppose the ballot measure. The group represents a broad, statewide coalition, including Alaska Native corporations, trade unions, businesses and industry organizations, as well as a growing coalition of Alaskans concerned about the state’s economic future. Stand for Alaska—Vote No on 1 represents more than 450 businesses, Alaska Native corporations, trade unions and organizations concerned about Alaska jobs, economy and communities.
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Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews
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