Ballot Access Requirements For Political Parties In Alaska
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Although there are hundreds of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.
To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alaska, click here.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status[edit]
See statutes: Section 15.80.008 and Section 15.80.010 of the Alaska Election Law
Definitions[edit]
A recognized political party in Alaska is an "organized group of voters that represents a political program and has at least 5,000 registered voters in the state."[1]
A political group in Alaska is "an organized group of voters seeking status as a recognized political party. ... A person who is registered as affiliated with a political group may file a declaration of candidacy, to appear on the primary election ballot, in the same manner as a person who is registered as affiliated with a political party."[1]
A limited political party in Alaska is a "political group that organizes for the purpose of selecting candidates for electors for President and Vice President of the United States. A group may file a petition to become a limited political party, and maintains this status if its presidential candidate receives at least three percent of the votes."[1]
Ballot access[edit]
According to Alaska Statutes Section 15.25.030:[2]
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A person who seeks to become a candidate in the primary election or a special primary election shall execute and file a declaration of candidacy. The declaration shall be executed under oath before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments and must state in substance ...
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Becoming a political group[edit]
A political group must file an application with the director of the Alaska Division of Elections that includes the group's name and contact information. The director will then begin to track voter registrations for the political group.[4]
Becoming a recognized political party[edit]
To obtain recognized political party status, a political group must perform the following steps on or before May 31 of the election year for which the group seeks recognition:[5]
- File an application with the director of elections.
- Submit bylaws to the director and the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Meet the statutory definition of a political party ("an organized group of voters that represents a political program and has at least 5,000 registered voters in the state").[6]
Political parties[edit]
As of November 2024, there were four recognized political parties in Alaska. These are listed in the table below.[7]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Alaska | Link | Party platform |
| Alaskan Independence Party | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Alaska | Link | Party platform |
| Republican Party of Alaska | Link | Party platform |
Noteworthy events[edit]
Changes to ballot access requirements effective January 1, 2023[edit]
On May 17, 2022, the Alaska State Legislature passed Senate Bill 161, which changed the statutory definition of a political party in Alaska. This resulted in a change to the ballot access requirements for political parties in the state. Before SB 161, political groups were required to have "registered voters in the state equal in number to at least three percent of the total votes cast for governor at the preceding general election" in order to become recognized political parties."[6] SB 161 changed this requirement to "at least 5,000 registered voters in the state."[8] The effective date for the changes made in SB 161 was January 1, 2023.[1][8]
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See also[edit]
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alaska
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Alaska
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Alaska
- Republican Party of Alaska
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Alaska Division of Elections, "Political Parties and Groups," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes Section 15.25.030," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Admin Code 6 AAC 25.130," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑ The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes Section 15.80.008," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Alaska State Legislature, "Alaska Statutes Section 15.80.010 (27)," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Political Parties and Groups in Alaska," accessed May 20, 2024
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid
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