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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 21 March 2022
State constitutional convention measures stoke partisan fear
Alaska is one of three states are taking sides on the
where voters will decide question that will be on the
this fall whether to call a November ballot.
convention to consider This year’s vote will follow
amendments to their con- an expected mid-year de-
stitution. The question has cision by the U.S. Supreme
gained little attention in Court in a case that could
Missouri and has generat- severely erode abortion
ed only mild interest so far rights across the country.
in New Hampshire, where The Alaska Supreme Court
a group opposed to COV- has interpreted the state
ID-19 mandates and restric- constitution’s right to priva-
tions has discussed starting cy as encompassing abor-
a campaign to advocate tion rights, but many con-
for a convention. That servatives want to do away
group, Rebuild NH, hasn’t with that interpretation.
yet said what amendments The conservative Alaska
it might favor. Family Council says it con-
In all, 14 states are required siders calling for a conven-
to hold periodic elections tion one of its top priorities.
asking voters whether to It supports an amendment
convene a constitutional saying nothing in the con-
convention. Delegates Demonstrators attended a press conference that turned into a rally against vaccine mandates stitution may be construed
typically have free reign outside the Statehouse, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, in Concord, N.H. as protecting a right to
to propose revisions — or Associated Press abortion. The group also is
even entirely new constitu- supporting issues related to
tions — that would then go school choice and chang-
back to voters for ratifica- es to the judicial selection
tion. process.Existing precedent
State constitutional con- in the state provides “pret-
ventions called by voters ty significant insulation” for
have become increas- Alaska women “to con-
ingly rare. More than 30 tinue to have reproductive
such ballot questions have choice,” said Susan Orlan-
failed since Rhode Island sky, interim executive di-
voters last authorized one rector of the American Civil
in 1984. Liberties Union of Alaska.
Voters in New Hampshire But she said her group is
haven’t authorized one concerned about the po-
since 1982. Delegates at tential for a convention. A
that gathering debated convention carries the risk
more than 100 amend- of possible changes to the
ments, with 10 making it to constitution that could un-
the ballot. Voters approved dermine those protections,
six, including measures that she said.
required the legislature to A prominent advocate for
meet annually instead of a convention is Bob Bird,
every other year and en- chair of the Alaskan Inde-
suring polling places would pendence Party, which is
be accessible to disabled one of the three recog-
voters. The country is more nized political parties in the
divided today. state and considers itself
“Whereas at one point a blend of conservative
a constitutional conven- Republicanism, populism
tion was seen as a way and libertarianism. Among
to empower the people other things, Bird has urged
and overcome challenges changes to the judiciary.
that they saw with the op- Critics of a convention say
eration of government, the heated political envi-
the people now no longer ronment makes this a bad
have trust that constitu- time to open the state con-
tional conventions will work stitution, but Bird disagrees:
out,” said John Dinan, a “If we didn’t have this en-
political science profes- vironment, it wouldn’t even
sor at Wake Forest Univer- be considered. It would
sity who studies the topic. be brushed off like it has
“There’s significant fear of (been) in the past.”
runaway conventions or The last time the question
opening the Pandora’s box was on the ballot in Alas-
of issues.” ka, in 2012, voters rejected
That’s what is emerging in calling for a convention by
Alaska, where some groups a nearly 2-to-1 margin.q
