OPINION: We must protect Alaska’s elections from unlimited money and outside special interests

Today, as a result of the Thompson v. Hebdon court decision, Alaska has no contribution limits for state and local elections. Without action, individuals and special interests from anywhere in the country can now give unlimited amounts of money directly to political candidates in Alaska. This is despite Alaskans’ strong interest in protecting our state from undue influence and unlimited donations in our elections.

Alaskans know just how important it is to have fair and reasonable limits on campaign contributions. In fact, two times in the past 25 years, Alaska voters have made this clear with ballot initiatives. The last time this was on the ballot in 2006, the “Take Back our State” initiative passed overwhelmingly with 73% of the vote. Here’s an excerpt from its statement of support:

“Corruption is not limited to one party or individual. Ethics should be not only bipartisan but also universal. From the Abramoff and Jefferson scandals in Washington, D.C., to side deals in Juneau, special interests are becoming bolder every day. They used to try to buy elections. Now they are trying to buy the legislators themselves.”

I believe that this measure, and the overwhelming margin by which it passed, demonstrates the strong desire of Alaskans to check the influence of special interests and fight corruption — and the perception of corruption — with fair contribution limits. Now, with the governor and 59 legislative races on the ballot in November, we cannot wait for a citizens’ initiative. If we are to remain a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” the governor and Legislature must act to protect the people’s voice in our elections.

That’s why I’ve introduced HB 234, and why it’s critical that the Legislature acts quickly to pass this bill. We must reestablish fair, reasonable and constitutional contribution limits to prevent outside and special interests from taking over Alaska’s elections and protect our right to self-determination. HB 234 would accomplish this by:

• establishing a $2,000 per campaign limit on individual contributions,

• adjusting limits every 10 years based on inflation, and

• limiting out-of-state contributions.

Alaskans had the good sense in 2006 to establish strong campaign contribution limits and it is my hope that the Legislature will do the same. I encourage you to join the growing number of Alaskan voices who are demanding that we restore fair and reasonable contribution limits. You can do this by reaching out to your elected officials and respectfully asking them to support this bill. It’s good policy, it’s common sense, and it’s what Alaskans want.

Rep. Calvin Schrage is an independent first-term legislator in the Alaska State House, representing the Abbott Loop-Lower Hillside community. He is also a former board member for the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and Abbott Loop Community Council and runs a small business in Anchorage.

The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.