Alaska
A group pushing for a ballot initiative that would create a law requiring parental notification for abortion says it has enough voter signatures and will hand-deliver its petitions today at the state Division of Elections. The state requires sponsors to get signatures from 10 percent of the people who voted in the last statewide general election, as well as 7 percent of the number from at least 30 of the state’s 40 legislative districts.
Both the Press and Dispatch today are looking into Republican-proposed legislation, sponsored mainly by House Majority Leader Kyle Johansen of Ketchikan, that would put more public accountability into the ballot initiative process. The bill would require full financial disclosure and public hearings during the initiative process, force petitioners to carry a copy of proposed legislation instead of a synopsis and prohibit paying them per signature collected.
Opponents of a ballot initiative designed to outlaw abortion in Alaska by declaring fetuses “legal persons” are challenging it in court. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Alaska Civil Liberties Union is supporting the lawsuit challenging the ballot drive, which was filed last week by plaintiffs including Vic Fischer, a former Democratic legislator and delegate to the state constitutional convention.
Anti-abortion activists are sponsoring an initiative that would declare a fetus a legal person. KTUU reported they’ll need more than 30,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot in Alaska.
Alaska voters in Fairbanks and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough rejected sales taxes Tuesday while measures that could lead to increased availability of booze were winning in Bethel and Kotzebue. The Fairbanks 3% sales tax proposal was tied to a measure to reduce property taxes. The plan could have increased spending on roads, police and fire protection by $8 million. Former Mayor Steve Thompson, a supporter, said critics used scare tactics to defeat the measure.
Borough voters will be asked to decide Tuesday if they want lower property taxes bad enough to pay a tax every time they buy something. The tax measure combines a borough-wide sales tax with a cap on how high the Assembly can set its property tax rate. The measure includes a 3-percent sales tax on up to $1,000 — so a shopper would pay $30 on a $1,000 computer. But that rate applies only if they bought it outside the city limits of Wasilla, Palmer or Houston.
Alaska may be one of the most remote places on earth, and be nowhere near the United States mainland, but it still has the initiative process. 
Several states –including Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming – ban or restrict paying people who collect signatures on a ballot initiative, referendum or recall petition based on the number of signatures they collect. Payment-per-signature allows citizens greater certainty in judging the cost of a petition effort. Moreover, in states that have passed such bans, the cost of successfully completing a petition drive has risen considerably, sometimes more than doubling.
The Alaskans for Parental Rights campaign began Thursday night, a quest to place the issue of parental consent for minors to have an abortion before Alaska voters. The event kicked off minus one of the star speakers that had been advertised for weeks — former Gov. Sarah Palin. But a very vocal right-to-life advocate made her pitch to Alaskan voters at ChangePoint Church — Star Parker, a nationally known crusader, was here to stir the faithful. “I was using abortion as my birth control,” Parker said.
Voters will have a big say in how Fairbanks responds to chronic air pollution problem. A measure approved 5-4 by the Borough Assembly on Thursday asks voters to weigh in on how coming air pollution-prevention programs in Fairbanks should be run ”” by the state or the borough. A ballot measure during the Oct. 6 borough election will give voters a direct say in the issue.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly reversed its July decision, voting against sending the mayor/manager question to the electorate Tuesday evening. The initiative failed on a 5-4 vote after Homer Assemblyman Bill Smith switched his previous vote in support of the ordinance to a ‘no’ vote on Tuesday. Seward Assemblyman Ron Long moved for reconsideration of Ordinance 2009-31, which passed on a 5-4 vote, opening discussion back up on the topic and requiring a new vote.
The Alliance of Concerned Taxpayers is seeking to ensure the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly term limits passed in 2007 remain valid through 2011. ACT submitted 140 petition books with more than 2,700 signatures to the borough clerk last week. Once the clerk verifies at least 1,736 signatures are legitimate, the petition becomes certified and placed on the October ballot.
Planned Parenthood of Alaska and a high school teacher have gone to court to block a voter initiative that would make it illegal for minors to get abortions without notifying a parent. The lawsuit filed Friday in Anchorage Superior Court says the state should not have certified the initiative because of legal technicalities and because it is misleading.
Mat-Su Borough Mayor Talis Colberg exercised his veto power Wednesday morning, turning down a ballot measure for a new borough sales tax. The borough Assembly voted Tuesday night to put a measure on the October ballot to increase the borough sales tax.
Smokers in the capital city could soon be paying more for cigarettes. The Assembly Finance Committee voted 7-1 to let Juneau voters decide whether to raise city taxes on cigarettes from 30 cents a pack to $1.