“We’ve capped the contributions twice. And most recently it was in 2006, when we also had a volunteer-driven ballot initiative, which passed overwhelmingly with 73%,” Tavcar said.
The 9th Circuit’s decision in Thompson v. Hebdon struck down a $500-per-year contribution limit on Alaska legislative races, saying it restricted free speech. The court provided a road map to reconfigure campaign limits so they are adjusted for inflation, but the state LegislatureSo, candidates today can now receive unlimited direct donations from anyone, even outside of Alaska.
Tavcar said the initiative would limit contributions to $2,000 per election cycle for an individual candidate’s campaign, or $5,000 a year to a political party. The initiative will not affect contributions by super PACs and independent expenditure groups. Each of those are defined separately under the law and are protected by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections.