Alaska Pro-Voter Reform Opponents Fined Nearly $100K for Breaking Campaign Laws

alaska
Photo by Alexis Mette on Unsplash
Published: 05 Jan, 2024
Updated: 18 Jun, 2025
1 min read

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has fined Anchorage pastor Art Mathias and the anti-ranked choice voting and anti-open primaries groups he founded nearly $100k for violating several campaign laws in their effort to overturn nonpartisan reform in the state.

Members of APOC's staff investigated complaints filed against the reform opponents and came to the conclusion in August 2023 that they failed to register with APOC, did not file campaign disclosure documents, and failed to identify who paid for videos and campaign materials released to the public.

For these violations, APOC ordered Mathias and his groups to pay civil penalties that total $94,610. The largest of the penalties was against Mathias himself for $45,000 for running campaign contributions through a church-associated nonprofit. 

Mathias and his groups are spearheading a ballot initiative to overturn nonpartisan election reforms approved by voters in 2020, which include a nonpartisan top-four primary with all voters and candidates participating on a single ballot and ranked choice voting in the general election.

ALSO READ: Alaskans Have Spoken: New Voting System Is Fairer, Easy, and Gives Them Better Candidates

None of the penalties levied by APOC will prevent the initiative from moving forward if there are enough valid signatures to advance it to the November ballot. Opponents of the new voting system are expected to file signatures later this month to put the matter before voters once again.

Related articles

I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read
Time Square at night.
Why Do New York City Elections Look Like Such a Mess?
For the third time in history, New York City voters used ranked choice voting (RCV) to determine their party nominees in Tuesday’s citywide primary elections. First implemented in 2021, the system was used in that year’s highly competitive Democratic primary, where Eric Adams ultimately secured the nomination and went on to become mayor. It was used again in 2023 without incident....
24 Jun, 2025
-
10 min read

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read