Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867, however, it did not become an incorporated territory of the United States until 1912.

A ballot measure can be created by either citizens or the legislature. Additionally, any constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Alaska requires a supermajority of the legislature's support and a simple majority of voters' support. Additionally, the constitution mandates that a referendum must be held every ten years on whether to hold a constitutional convention.

Alaska is one of two states that uses a ranked-choice voting system. The system was first implemented in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the 2022 special election for Alaska's at-large congressional district. In 2024, a measure to repeal the system narrowly failed.

As of 2024, a total of 212 measures have appeared on the ballot. 60 of them have failed and 152 have passed.

Background The Constitution of Alaska, itself ratified by a vote of the people in 1956, outlined specific guidelines for ballot measures in Article XI, stating that "the people may propose and enact laws by the initiative, and approve or reject acts of the legislature by the referendum." Congress approved statehood in 1958 and when Alaska formally entered the union in 1959, it became the 20th state to have a system of direct voting.

In 2004, the Alaskan Legislature took steps to limit the number of measures that could appear on the ballot each year. The new rules required that measures initiatives and referendums receive signatures from three-quarters of Alaska's legislative districts and increased the total number of signatures required to a tenth of voters in the most recent election.

In 2020, Alaska became the second state, after Maine, in the nation to adopt a ranked-choice voting system when Ballot Measure 2 passed by less than 4,000 votes. Implementation of this system was postponed while state courts processed several legal challenges, but the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the measure in January 2022. The system was first used in the 2022 special election primary. In 2024, a measure to repeal the system was held but failed by a margin of less than 700 votes.

Types of ballot measures

Citizen-initiated There are two types of citizen-initiated ballot measures in Alaska. Both types must be proposed by a three-member committee of citizens and receive the qualifying amount of signatures within a year of the committee proposing the measure.

Initiatives are measures placed on the ballot in order to introduce and enact a new law without it going through the legislature. Initiatives may not be used to allocate funding, create new courts, or modify the jurisdiction of existing courts. If the state passes a law substantially similar to proposed initiatives, the petition will automatically be rendered void. Referendums are measures placed on the ballot in order to approve or reject an action taken by the state legislature. Referendums may not be used to allocate funding or modify laws necessary "for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety" (as determined by the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska).

Legislature-initiated There are two types of legislature-initiated ballot measures in Alaska.

Bond propositions are measures placed on the ballot to create general obligation bonds. The Constitution of Alaska requires that these bonds be ratified by a simple majority of voters after passing the legislature. Constitutional amendments are measures placed on the ballot to modify the Constitution of Alaska. Amendments to the constitution must receive a supermajority of the legislature's support and a simple majority of voters' support. Additionally, the Constitution of Alaska requires a referendum be held every ten years on whether to hold a constitutional convention.

1960–1999

1960 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Initiative No. 1A measure moving the Alaskan capital from Juneau to a location in the Cook Inlet area18,865 (44.04%)23,972 (55.96%) Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $9,000,000 in funding to construct state office buildings in Anchorage and Fairbanks ()20,778 (41.57%)29,206 (58.43%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $23,000,000 in funding to construct and maintain a ferry and road system in the state ()27,197 (52.32%)24,779 (47.68%) Bonding Proposition 3A measure providing $1,500,000 in funding for vocational education programs ()32,494 (63.94%)18,327 (36.06%) Bonding Proposition 4A measure providing $2,000,000 in funding to the University of Alaska ()37,085 (72.92%)14,640 (27.08%) Bonding Proposition 5A measure providing $2,500,000 in funding for the construction and maintenance of new hospitals ()37,852 (73.33%)13,770 (26.67%) Bonding Proposition 6A measure providing $1,500,000 in funding for airfields in rural parts of the state ()33,800 (66.58%)16,969 (33.42%)

1962 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Initiative No. 1A measure moving the Alaskan capital from Juneau to a location in Western Alaska within thirty miles of Anchorage26,542 (45.09%)32,325 (54.91%) Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $5,950,000 in funding for new buildings at the University of Alaska ()42,747 (76.07%)13,447 (23.93%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $5,000,000 in funding for the construction of new schools ()39,117 (70.58%)16,306 (29.42%) Bonding Proposition 3A measure providing $4,175,000 in funding for the construction and maintenance of rural airports ()32,606 (59.18%)22,492 (40.82%) Bonding Proposition 4A measure providing $2,200,000 in funding for the construction of vocational schools ()33,374 (60.98%)21,356 (39.02%)

1964 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $2,000,000 in funding for the construction of assisted living residences ()46,970 (72.72%)17,616 (27.28%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $5,000,000 in funding for the construction of new health and welfare facilities ()47,099 (73.17%)17,274 (26.83%)

1966 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Senate Joint Resolution 1A measure allowing the state legislature to reduce the residency requirement to vote in presidential elections36,667 (74.75%)12,383 (25.25%) Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $900,000 in funding for outdoor recreation construction ()41,242 (66.63%)20,655 (33.37%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $2,285,000 in funding for the construction of new schools ()50,532 (80.34%)12,367 (19.66%) Bonding Proposition 3A measure providing $15,500,000 in funding for the construction of new ferries ()36,518 (60.12%)24,225 (39.88%) Bonding Proposition 4A measure providing $16,900,000 in funding for the construction of new university buildings ()43,674 (71.09%)17,758 (28.91%) Bonding Proposition 5A measure providing $10,500,000 in funding for the construction of a state highway system ()49,336 (78.08%)13,852 (21.92%) Bonding Proposition 6A measure providing $11,500,000 in funding for the construction of new airports ()41,146 (66.57%)20,665 (33.43%) Bonding Proposition 7A measure providing $2,285,000 for the construction of new regional high schools ()49,007 (77.68%)14,084 (22.32%)

1968 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Constitutional Amendment No. 1A measure establishing a judicial commission to set guidelines on eligibility for practicing law32,481 (71.70%)12,823 (28.30%) Constitutional Amendment No. 2A measure establishing that members of the judicial commission may be financially compensated for their work there27,156 (60.30%)17,467 (39.70%)Referendum Relating to Voter RegistrationA measure establishing a system of pre-registration for Alaskan voters.37,152 (51.29%)35,278 (48.71%) Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $2,000,000 in funding for the construction of assisted living residences in the southcentral region ()48,992 (64.12%)27,417 (35.88%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $11,200,000 in funding for the construction of a state highway system ()60,782 (78.93%)16,225 (21.07%) Bonding Proposition 3A measure providing $1,200,000 in funding for the construction of new hospitals ()56,272 (74.14%)19,631 (25.86%) Bonding Proposition 4A measure providing $8,800,000 in funding for the construction of new airports ()54,330 (71.60%)21,519 (28.40%) Bonding Proposition 5A measure providing $10,000,000 in funding for the construction of new schools ()61,619 (79.70%)15,661 (20.30%) Bonding Proposition 6A measure providing $8,500,000 in funding for the construction of new university buildings ()50,741 (66.83%)25,190 (33.17%) Bonding Proposition 7A measure providing $18,000,000 in funding for the construction of ferries ()35,549 (47.27%)39,655 (52.73%) Bonding Proposition 8A measure providing $3,000,000 in funding for the construction of new fish hatcheries ()49,558 (65.04%)26,638 (34.96%)

1970 + Measure Name Description Outcome Yes Votes No Votes Constitutional Amendment No. 1An amendment lowering the voting age to eighteen years old36,590 (53.96%)31,216 (46.04%) Constitutional Amendment No. 2An amendment eliminating the ability to read English as a voting requirement34,079 (51.13%)32,578 (48.87%) Constitutional Amendment No. 3An amendment renaming the Secretary of State to the Lieutenant Governor46,102 (71.05%)18,781 (28.95%) Constitutional Amendment No. 4An amendment requiring the position of Chief Justice be elected by the other justices on the Alaska Supreme Court44,055 (69.23%)19,583 (30.77%) Constitutional Amendment No. 5An amendment requiring that the administrator of the Alaskan court system be appointed by the Alaska Supreme Court43,462 (69.97%)18,651 (30.03%)Referendum Relating to Constitutional ConventionA referendum calling for a Constitutional convention34,911 (50.32%)34,472 (49.68%) Bonding Proposition 1A measure providing $20,300,000 in funding for the construction of schools61,528 (79.53%)15,835 (20.47%) Bonding Proposition 2A measure providing $3,000,000 in funding for the construction of housing in remote areas45,137 (59.14%)31,188 (40.86%) Bonding Proposition 3A measure providing $2,300,00 in funding for the construction of recreational facilities50,272 (66.56%)25,256 (33.44%) Bonding Proposition 4A measure providing $29,200,000 for the construction of new highways61,010 (79.58%)15,658 (20.42%) Bonding Proposition 5A measure providing $8,600,000 in funding for the construction of new health and welfare correctional facilities52,977 (69.71%)23,016 (30.29%) Bonding Proposition 6A measure providing $5,600,000 in funding for the construction of new health and medical facilities57,358 (77.14%)17,001 (22.86%) Bonding Proposition 7A measure providing $11,000,000 in funding for the construction of new wastewater systems57,380 (75.10%)19,024 (25.90%) Bonding Proposition 8A measure providing $5,500,000 in funding for highway maintenance56,540 (74.56%)19,287 (25.44%) Bonding Proposition 9A measure providing $10,000,000 in funding for the construction of new airports50,964 (69.96%)21,887 (30.04%) Bonding Proposition 10A measure providing $21,000,000 in funding for the construction of ferries42,901 (58.69%)30,193 (41.31%) Bonding Proposition 11A measure providing $29,700,000 in funding for construction relating to the University of Alaska51,864 (70.49%)21,710 (29.51%)

1972