Anticipating a busy election season, a new bipartisan group has launched an early campaign to convince Alaska voters to reject a constitutional convention.
Jim Minnery is the director of the Alaska Family Council, which is urging Alaskans to vote “yes.” He said his group is interested in judicial reform — the Alaska Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled in favor of abortion rights — and in school choice — the constitution prohibits state funding for religious schools.
“If you want to know what the conservative Christians in the state are thinking, that’s the reason,” he said. Frustration over the Permanent Fund dividend is also driving interest. Since 2016, the annual payout has been set by fiat, rather than by a formula in state law, and legislators have been unable to agree on a new formula or a constitutional amendment that would guarantee payouts.
Coghill said he agrees that changes to the constitution are needed, but he believes a convention isn’t the right way. Because there are no limits on what a convention can change, he and other said it could go in unpredictable directions. Because the state and the United States as a whole has become politically polarized, he said the result would be acrimony, and it would bring little progress.Juneau-based James Brooks covers state government, the Alaska Legislature and general assignments for the Daily News.
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