Citizens in Charge

The 26th Alaska Legislature closed its session Sunday without passing House Bill 36. The bill would have required campaign finance reporting for initiative supporters and banned payment-per-signature.

Paying signature gatherers per-signature is the industry standard, even though critics claim that it invites fraud. Industry experts and ballot initiative rights supporters say that since initiative  proponents only pay for valid signatures, it actually reduces fraud and increases productivity.

An Ohio law banning payment per signature was struck down last year by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals as unconstitutional. The court’s opinion said that “By making speech more costly, the State is virtually guaranteeing there will be less of it.”