Alaska ballot measure to restore campaign contribution limits heads to August 18 primary

Alaska voters will decide August 18 whether to restore campaign contribution limits for state and local races. Unlimited giving is currently in place for many state offices, and passage of Ballot Measure No. 1 would re-establish donation caps for state and local candidates.

The measure, formally titled the Restoring Alaska's Campaign Finance Limits Initiative and tracked as 23RCF2, proposes capping donations to candidates running for state and local office. The Alaska Public Offices Commission's contribution tables confirm that no overall candidate limits are in place for many categories. The Office of the Lt. Governor and the Division of Elections scheduled multiple public hearings on the measure.

Opponents of contribution limits have argued in prior legal challenges that caps restrict political speech and donors' associational rights under the First Amendment. A Ninth Circuit ruling previously found Alaska's $500 limit too low, which led to the removal of prior caps. State Rep. Andy Josephson pushed back on that framing at the Alaska State House's final session day on May 20, 2026, saying the ruling did not bar limits outright.

"The statement of the previous member that the courts have indicated that you can't have contribution limits is completely, completely false. It's just— it's really false. There are contribution limits in state campaigns and of course federal elections all over the country. All they said fundamentally in the Ninth Circuit decision was $500 limits are pretty small," Josephson said.

The window to participate is narrow. Voter registration for the primary closes July 19, two days from now. Absentee ballots begin mailing July 24, and the application deadline for absentee voting is August 8.