Anchorage weighs requiring candidates to gather voter signatures to get on the ballot

The Anchorage Assembly's Governance Committee on Thursday, Oct. 8, reviewed a proposal that would require candidates for mayor, Assembly and School Board to gather voter signatures to get on the ballot. Anchorage doesn't currently require nominating petitions.

Under the proposal, Assembly candidates would need 50 signatures from residents of their district, and candidates for mayor and School Board would need 250. Write-in candidates would be exempt. The candidate filing period would also move a week earlier.

The requirement started as part of a broader election ordinance. Assembly Chair Anna Brawley said she asked the sponsors to split it out so it could get its own discussion.

"It is just for ballot access," said Assembly Member Donald Handeland of Chugiak-Eagle River, who sponsored the measure with Assembly Member Jared Goecker, also of Chugiak-Eagle River.

Municipal Clerk Jamie Heinz said she previously worked for the Haines Borough, which requires 10 signatures, and the City of Kenai, which requires 25. "Anchorage is the first city that I worked in that does not require nomination petitions," she said. She said she didn't expect the change to be difficult or costly to carry out.

Assembly Member George Martinez of East Anchorage said larger cities with petition requirements see legal fights when candidates are removed from the ballot, and that the cost "may be underestimated." Dean Gates, who answered legal questions for the committee, said state law limits some municipalities to petitions of no more than 10 signatures, but that he would assume home-rule municipalities like Anchorage can require more.

Assembly Member Sydney Scout of North Anchorage said the idea could "strengthen our democracy."

Heinz said the city's Election Commission met on the proposal, but she didn't know whether it had made recommendations. The Assembly has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 4.