Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer Declares Alaska Tribal Recognition Act Qualified for the Ballot

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer declared yesterday that the ballot initiative to have the State of Alaska formally recognize Alaska Native Tribes has qualified a sufficient number of signatures, and will appear on the November 8, 2022 general election ballot. Alaskans for Better Government, the campaign powered by voters in every region of the state who signed up to see the question on the ballot, will enter its next phase of outreach on the economic, social, and cultural benefits of state recognition.

In order to qualify for the ballot an initiative must be signed by qualified voters equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the preceding general election, from at least three-fourths of the house districts in the state, and in each house district, equal to at least seven percent of those who voted in the preceding general election.

The Division of Elections verified 47,199 voter signatures submitted by Alaskans for Better Government, far exceeding the threshold of 36,140 required to appear on the ballot. The initiative also secured signatures from all 40 house districts.

“This initiative will reinforce the bridge between our Tribes and the State, one that has up to now been built on sand. We are ready for a solution that allows Tribes to continue delivering value to all of our communities, even as State administrations change from time to time. Alaskans are ready for this commonsense collaboration” said Joe Nelson, Sealaska Board Chair and member of the Alaskans for Better Government Native Leaders Roundtable.

The ballot initiative presents a historic opportunity for Alaskans to honor the Native peoples and communities that have stewarded Alaska for thousands of years, and to create a stronger relationship between Tribes and the State. Recognition of the Tribes in statute will unlock our creative problem-solving potential, leveraging a clearer legal relationship between the two governments to bring the strength of both to bear on solving Alaska’s most entrenched issues like rural and public safety, education, and child welfare. It will also create a pathway for increased revenue, as Tribes alone bring in over $2 billion dollars a year in health care services and infrastructure currently. Developing innovative agreements between the State and Tribes that outlast political turnover would eliminate government redundancy and apply local knowledge to solve local challenges.

“We are thrilled with the determination from Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer,” said Melanie Bahnke, President of Kawerak, Inc and Tribal member of the Native Village of Savoonga. “This is a logical and bipartisan initiative, it would bring the state up to date with our courts and executive branch in recognizing the Tribes so that we can focus on what matters to all of us: stronger communities, better schools, thriving families, and creating a future we can believe in. We are glad to see both the initiative and House Bill 123 continue to gain traction toward becoming law.”

HB 123, the legislation sponsored by Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky upon which the petition was modeled, is under review in the Senate State Affairs Committee with 11 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate.

If HB 123 passes the Senate and is signed into law with no substantial amendments, the ballot initiative will not move forward.

Alaskans who wish to learn more, get involved, or donate to the campaign may visit www.AlaskansForBetterGovernment.com.