Protecting Alaska’s Elections: A Call to Action

Alaska is under siege, not by armies marching across our tundra, but by a flood of outside money pouring into our elections which is trying to reshape our state without our consent. Out of state (and yes even out of the country) billionaires, Lower 48 interest groups, and dark money organizations are spending millions to influence our policies, control our resources, and dictate how we live. They don’t live here. They don’t vote here. And they sure don’t understand what it means to be Alaskan. Yet they think they can buy their way into power.

We can’t let that happen.

In 2024, when we fought to repeal ranked-choice voting with Ballot Measure No. 2, we weren’t just up against a difference of opinion, we were up against a financial war. The opposition group, “No on 2,” pulled in more than $12 million. Guess where that money came from?

Not from hardworking Alaskans, but from outside interests:

• $5.5 million from Unite America in Colorado
• $4.4 million from Article IV in Virginia
• $2 million from Action Now Initiative in Texas

Meanwhile, “Yes on 2,” fighting to bring back our traditional elections, barely raised $117,875. That’s a 100-to-1 gap in funding. The measure lost by just 743 votes which is a razor-thin margin. Does anyone really believe millions in out-of-state money didn’t sway that outcome?

And this wasn’t a one-time attack. In 2022, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, backed by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, dumped $2 million to shut down our constitutional convention. Wyss funnels hundreds of millions into dark money groups manipulating elections nationwide. Then there’s George Soros and BlackRock, pushing their extreme ESG agenda. None of these people care about Alaska. They just want control.

This battle isn’t just about ballots; it’s about the future of our state. We are America’s Arctic stronghold, sitting on 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and rare earth minerals the world desperately needs. Russia and China have their eyes on our resources, and our elections determine who will stand guard and who will develop our resources.

But it’s more than just economics. Alaskans have always known how to balance development with conservation. We hunt, fish, and live off this land. Outsiders, with their radical green agendas or unchecked corporate greed, don’t care about that balance. They’ll either lock up our resources or exploit them, leaving us out in the cold. Make no mistake, the push to control our legislature is a push to control the future of our state.

There is a Supreme Court decision (Citizens United v. FEC) that says that IE money is protected free speech. However, I don’t think Alaskans should allow that to stand. It is time we stand up and make a new Supreme Court decide, perhaps based on the minority position of Chief Judge Thomas, decide that corporations, unions, and out-of-state groups cannot spend unlimited funds in our state even if it does not lead to outright corruption. Alaska’s situation is unique. We have a tiny legislature, just 60 members, and our dependence on oil and gas makes us a prime target for outside manipulation. In Thompson v. Hebdon, the Ninth Circuit struck down our non-resident contribution limits, but Chief Judge Sidney Thomas disagreed. He argued that Alaska has a special case—our small legislature and critical resources make us more vulnerable than any other state. If the federal government can block foreign interference in elections, why can’t we stop non-resident influence in Alaska?

We have a fighting chance if we push back. But without a bill to challenge the courts there is no fight.

With that in mind, when House Bill 16 came up, I proposed nine amendments all with common sense protections:

• Force independent groups to disclose their biggest donors.
• Cap nonresident donations to ballot measures.
• Require ads to list who’s really paying for them.
• Make large donations public within 24 hours.
• Give the Alaska Public Offices Commission real enforcement power.

House Democrats shut down every single one of these reforms. They refused to protect our elections, leaving the door wide open for more outside interference.

But the fight isn’t over. HB 16 is moving to the Senate, and I’m not backing down. Alaska must ban foreign and out-of-state money from our ballot initiative election fights. Alaskans deserve to know who’s behind the campaigns shaping their future. And we need real penalties for violations. If the courts push back, let them explain why outsiders should have more influence than Alaskans themselves.

If we allow this money to keep flooding in, here’s what we’ll lose:

• Our resources: Either locked away by environmental extremists or exploited by suits who don’t live here.
• Our economy: Crushed by policies that kill jobs and drive up costs.
• Our sovereignty: Erased by outside agendas we never signed up for.
• Our security: Undermined while Russia and China lurk in the shadows.
• Our way of life: Changed forever—by people who never set foot in Alaska.

Ohio and Montana are already taking action—Ohio banned foreign money in ballot fights, and Montana is battling the same dark money that forced ranked-choice voting on us. We need to join them.

I can’t do this alone. I need you and every Alaskan who loves this state to fight with me. Pick up your phone. Call your lawmakers. Tell them you’re sick of outside billionaires buying our elections. Demand APOC election reporting and transparency reforms that put Alaskans first.

This isn’t just about politics. It’s about preserving the Alaska we cherish—the land, the freedom, and the grit that define us. Not only do we need to fight this, we need to remember it next election. Remember how Democrats in the Alaska House tried to limit your ability to see who was donating to what.

We can’t let outsiders take over Alaska.