Ballot Measure 2, which narrowly was approved by voters in 2020, had the effect of destroying the Republican primary, a time when Republicans and non-party voters could choose their candidates for the November ballot. Now, a guy like former Gov. Bill Walker, who left the Republican Party years ago, can appear on the November ballot as a Republican and fool voters into thinking he is a Republican. A guy like Chris Constant, now a Democrat running for Congress, could re-register as a Republican and fool the voters as a poser.
The Alaska Republican Party this weekend revised the definition of “membership.” Now, anyone registered as a Republican is considered a “participant” in the Republican Party. That means Alaska Republican Party Chairwoman Ann Brown is a participant, not a member. Voters who are registered as Republicans are participants, and so are district chairs, precinct leaders, or party activists.
Read: With Ballot Measure 2, Alaska won’t have representation in Congress until late August
Membership has a new meaning. It applies to candidates who want to appear with an “R” by their name on the ballot. Henceforth, a member in the Republican Party means the candidate has applied to the newly created membership committee, made up of party leaders, who have the authority to approve or disapprove membership. Without membership, the State Division of Elections is not authorized by the party to say a candidate may have that “R” by their name on the ballot. According to state law, candidates may have the letter corresponding with their party “membership” on the ballot.
The membership committee will be co-chaired by the party’s national committeewoman and national committeeman. It will include the seven regional representatives for the party and eight others elected at the convention, or by appointment by the state central committee in the interim.
While it’s too late to do anything about the special primary election ballot that will be in the mail this week for the temporary replacement for Alaska’s congressional seat, the party intends to forward its new rule to the Alaska Attorney General and ask the state to review and enforce it.
The State will likely want to do that, because there are constitutional considerations involving the rights of assembly and the right to association as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. The State of Alaska, including the Division of Elections, would probably not want to go against a political group that limits its membership by forcing it to accept members.
The new rule was fine-tuned extensively over the two-day meeting of the Alaska Republican Party and passed the State Central Committee unanimously.
Other rule changes that were passed by the party include:
- The party adopted new rule to allow for districts and the State Central Committee to nominate a single Republican candidate for any state party office. If a nominee gets 80 percent of the State Central Committee vote, for example, they are considered endorsed exclusively.
- Any Republican candidate member can be endorsed by any club or district or the State Central Committee. More than one candidate may be endorsed.
- A vote of censure takes 60 percent, and now has the effect of prohibiting any party official from engaging in any activity promoting that candidate and prevents that candidate from participating in any party event.
- The membership committee can revoke membership of a candidate by a two-thirds vote.
- A vote of censure expires after the next election for that candidate. At this point, only House Rep. Kelly Merrick and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski are censured.
The new rules were adopted unanimously by the State Central Committee.
