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Election Law

  • Medicine Crow v. Beecher
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2025) Drew Loughlin In Medicine. Crow v. Beecher, 570 P.3d 452 (Alaska 2025), the Supreme Court of Alaska affirmed the superior court’s decision to certify a ballot initiative, which was challenged because of corrections made to circulators’ certifications of the petition booklets. (Id. at 453). The ballot initiative, which sought to end ...
  • Alaska Democratic Party v. Beecher
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2025) Michael Ash In Alaska Democratic Party v. Beecher, 572 P.3d 556 (Alaska 2025), the Supreme Court of Alaska explained the reasoning behind a short order decision from September 2024, which allowed Hafner, the sixth place finisher in a ranked choice primary contest, to be elevated to one of the four spots ...
  • Vazquez v. State
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2024) Erik Gordon In Vazquez v. State, 544 P.3d 1178 (Alaska 2024), the supreme court held that a person meets the residency requirements to hold elected office if he or she meets the three-year state residency requirement under Title 1 rather than the more stringent requirements of Title 15. (Id. at 1181). ...
  • Matter of 2021 Redistricting Cases
    GOVERNMENT Supreme Court of Alaska (2023) Allyson Barkley In Matter of 2021 Redistricting Cases, 528 P.3d 40 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court determined the Alaska Redistricting Board’s (the “Board”) state districts to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered. (Id. at 102). After the 2020 Census results were released, the Board created a redistricting plan. (Id. at 61). It drafted the House ...
  • Guerin v. State
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2023) Sarah Edwards In Guerin v. State, 537 P.3d 770 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court held that the Division of Elections (“Division”) properly applied a 64-day time limit for candidate replacement, which prevented the inclusion of the fifth-place candidate on a special general election ballot, and that this exclusion did not violate ...
  • State, Office of the Lieutenant Governor v. Corbisier
    ELECTION LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Alex BartlowIn State, Office of the Lieutenant Governor v. Corbisier, 522 P.3d 174 (Alaska 2022), the supremecourt reversed the lower court’s grant of a preliminary injunction preventing the Alaska Divisionof Elections from certifying election results, holding that the lower court erred in failing to considerthe general public’s interest in an ...
  • Smith v. Helzer
    ELECTION LAWUnited States District Court, District of Alaska (2022)Kristiana OlsonIn Smith v. Helzer, 2022 WL 2757421 (D. Alaska 2022), the district court denied a request toenjoin the enforcement provisions requiring disclosures for political donations. (Id. at *14). In2020, Alaskans enacted changes to the election system by ballot measure, including additionalcampaign finance disclosures. (Id. at *1). ...
  • Kohlhaas v. State
    ELECTION LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Sarah BrooksIn Kohlhaas v. State, 518 P.3d 1095 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court upheld the constitutionalityof both open primaries and ranked choice voting for general elections approved by a ballotinitiative, Initiative 2. (Id. at 1100–01). Kohlhaas argued that Initiative 2 violated free speechrights by allowing candidates to identify with a ...
  • Alaska Public Offices Commission v. Patrick
    ELECTION LAW, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Margot Graham In Alaska Public Offices Commission v. Patrick, 494 P.3d 53 (Alaska 2021), the Alaska Supreme Court held that statutory contribution limits are unconstitutional in the context of independent expenditure groups (Id. at 60). Individual plaintiffs filed complaints with the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), alleging that to independent expenditure groups accepted ...
  • State v. Galvin
    ELECTION LAW Sloane Bessey In State v. Galvin, 491 P.3d 325 (Alaska 2021), the supreme court held that when a preliminary injunction threatens the success of an election it should be denied to protect the public interest. (Id. at 339–40). Prior to the November 2020 general election, the Division of Elections (the Division) made the decision to ...

Election Law

  • Medicine Crow v. Beecher
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2025) Drew Loughlin In Medicine. Crow v. Beecher, 570 P.3d 452 (Alaska 2025), the Supreme Court of Alaska affirmed the superior court’s decision to certify a ballot initiative, which was challenged because of corrections made to circulators’ certifications of the petition booklets. (Id. at 453). The ballot initiative, which sought to end ...
  • Alaska Democratic Party v. Beecher
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2025) Michael Ash In Alaska Democratic Party v. Beecher, 572 P.3d 556 (Alaska 2025), the Supreme Court of Alaska explained the reasoning behind a short order decision from September 2024, which allowed Hafner, the sixth place finisher in a ranked choice primary contest, to be elevated to one of the four spots ...
  • Vazquez v. State
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2024) Erik Gordon In Vazquez v. State, 544 P.3d 1178 (Alaska 2024), the supreme court held that a person meets the residency requirements to hold elected office if he or she meets the three-year state residency requirement under Title 1 rather than the more stringent requirements of Title 15. (Id. at 1181). ...
  • Matter of 2021 Redistricting Cases
    GOVERNMENT Supreme Court of Alaska (2023) Allyson Barkley In Matter of 2021 Redistricting Cases, 528 P.3d 40 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court determined the Alaska Redistricting Board’s (the “Board”) state districts to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered. (Id. at 102). After the 2020 Census results were released, the Board created a redistricting plan. (Id. at 61). It drafted the House ...
  • Guerin v. State
    ELECTION LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2023) Sarah Edwards In Guerin v. State, 537 P.3d 770 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court held that the Division of Elections (“Division”) properly applied a 64-day time limit for candidate replacement, which prevented the inclusion of the fifth-place candidate on a special general election ballot, and that this exclusion did not violate ...
  • State, Office of the Lieutenant Governor v. Corbisier
    ELECTION LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Alex BartlowIn State, Office of the Lieutenant Governor v. Corbisier, 522 P.3d 174 (Alaska 2022), the supremecourt reversed the lower court’s grant of a preliminary injunction preventing the Alaska Divisionof Elections from certifying election results, holding that the lower court erred in failing to considerthe general public’s interest in an ...
  • Smith v. Helzer
    ELECTION LAWUnited States District Court, District of Alaska (2022)Kristiana OlsonIn Smith v. Helzer, 2022 WL 2757421 (D. Alaska 2022), the district court denied a request toenjoin the enforcement provisions requiring disclosures for political donations. (Id. at *14). In2020, Alaskans enacted changes to the election system by ballot measure, including additionalcampaign finance disclosures. (Id. at *1). ...
  • Kohlhaas v. State
    ELECTION LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Sarah BrooksIn Kohlhaas v. State, 518 P.3d 1095 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court upheld the constitutionalityof both open primaries and ranked choice voting for general elections approved by a ballotinitiative, Initiative 2. (Id. at 1100–01). Kohlhaas argued that Initiative 2 violated free speechrights by allowing candidates to identify with a ...
  • Alaska Public Offices Commission v. Patrick
    ELECTION LAW, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Margot Graham In Alaska Public Offices Commission v. Patrick, 494 P.3d 53 (Alaska 2021), the Alaska Supreme Court held that statutory contribution limits are unconstitutional in the context of independent expenditure groups (Id. at 60). Individual plaintiffs filed complaints with the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), alleging that to independent expenditure groups accepted ...
  • State v. Galvin
    ELECTION LAW Sloane Bessey In State v. Galvin, 491 P.3d 325 (Alaska 2021), the supreme court held that when a preliminary injunction threatens the success of an election it should be denied to protect the public interest. (Id. at 339–40). Prior to the November 2020 general election, the Division of Elections (the Division) made the decision to ...