Digital Bob Archive

Alaska Elections, III: In Alaska's first two legislative elections, 1912 and 1914, a majority of candidates called themselves either Non-partisans or Independents, but by the third election, in November 1916, three parties dominated the ballot: Democrat, Republican and Socialist. That was in the middle of the Woodrow Wilson administration in Washington, and Alaska tended to follow the national political trends. Consequently, when the Third Legislature convened in March 1917, the seats were occupied by 12 Democrats and 7 Republicans, leaving only 5 for the Non-partisans, Independents and Progressives. The declared Socialists did not win a seat in that or any other Alaska Legislature.

The Third Alaska Legislature moved to tighten political party control of the election process by enacting Alaska's first Primary Election law.

The law set the last Tuesday of April as Primary Election day, and that remained without change until statehood. Candidates were required to file for office at least 60 days before the election. That was unsatisfactory because the date was indefinite and was complicated by the fact that every other election was in a leap year. In 1923 the filing date was changed to the first Tuesday of February, and in 1935 it was changed again, to February 1, which remained in effect until after statehood.

Candidates were required by the 1917 Primary law to declare party affiliation,
and this had to be certified by five members of the same party. A filing fee, a minimum of $40, was also imposed for the first time. In the election, there was a separate ballot for the candidates of each party, and separate ballot box to place them in. Voters could vote only on one ballot.

The 1923 Legislature slightly tightened the declaration required of party candidates. They not only had to certify party membership but that they would \"support and abide by principles of the party.\" But even more restrictive requirements were to come as party officials sought to keep the candidates 99 and 44/100 politically pure. A 1935 law required that candidates must not only declare party membership, but also certify \"that at each primary at which he has voted during the past four years he has voted the ballot of such party and will vote as a member of the party at the coming primary and intends to vote for a majority of its nominees at the next general election, and will support the principles of that party as set forth in the last national platform.\"

For one thing, that restriction made it almost impossible for a candidate who voted regularly to change parties except by staying away from the polls for four years. Party ballots were eliminated by a 1947 law, but the requirement remained on the books until 1953. It was then modified to require only a declaration of party membership of two years past.

[Next week: Wickersham vs Sulzer vs Grigsby, 1918-1919.]