VOTE 'YES' ON FIRST BALLOT MEASURE, SAY 'NO' TO OTHERS

When Alaskans go to the polls Nov. 2, not only will they choose a
president and vice president, a U.S. senator and representative, and
several legislators, but they also will decide four ballot measures.

Ballot Measure 1 would change the process for gathering signatures for
an initiative or referendum petition by requiring signatures from more
voting districts in the state. If the measure passes, signers must be
from at least 30 of the 40 House districts, three more than now
required. It also requires signatures from each of the 30 districts to
equal at least 7 percent of the voters who voted in each of the
districts in the last general election. Currently only one signer from
a district is required. The measure does not change the total number
of statewide signatures required.

Alaskans should vote "yes" on Ballot Measure 1. The current signature
requirement consolidates power in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area where
23 House districts are located. Only signatures from four more
districts are needed and those districts can be found within driving
distance of the state's major population center.

Passage of Ballot Measure 1 would involve a broader cross section of
Alaskans in proposing change through the initiative process. It
doesn't make it harder for citizens to advance change through the
process, but it does ensure more Alaskans are supportive of bringing
the change before voters.

Ballot Measure 2 would remove civil and criminal penalties under state
law for people 21 years of age and older who grow, use, sell or give
away marijuana. It would allow marijuana to be regulated like alcohol
and tobacco by state and local governments.

Alaskans should just say "no" to Ballot Measure 2. It flies in the
face of the principles of healthy communities that most Alaskans
support. There may be legitimate arguments about how prohibition
against alcohol didn't work and how it doesn't work with marijuana
either, but legal alcohol has its own set of social and health
problems that have had a devastating effect on Alaska and Alaskans.
This law has the potential to do the same.

While some adults may be able to use marijuana in the privacy of their
own homes without it hurting others, Alaskans need to ask themselves
if that personal freedom is in the best interest of public safety.
Marijuana does have an effect on those who don't use it: just ask
those in the medical and law enforcement communities. Those who treat
people with substance abuse problems say almost all of them started
with marijuana. Those in law enforcement see accidents, injuries and
murders related to marijuana use. The case of an Anchorage teen
charged last week with his stepmother's murder may be an example; the
boy and his stepmother allegedly fought when she confronted him about
his use of marijuana.

Ballot Measure 2 proposes bad public policy and should be
defeated.

Unfortunately, Ballot Measure 3, which would prohibit bear baiting,
has become a debate over which side represents the true Alaskan. There
are well-respected hunters and Alaskans on both sides of this issue.
Those who favor Ballot Measure 3 say bear baiting is a lazy, unethical
and dangerous practice that flies in the face of the principles of
fair chase. Opponents say it is a valuable management tool that also
improves safety for hunters and bears alike. Baiting also is used by
disabled hunters who cannot hike long distances and is popular with
bow hunters who take animals at close range.

Two important questions need to be considered when deciding Ballot
Measure 3: Is this ballot box biology that takes wildlife management
out of the hands of the experts in the Alaska Department of Fish and
Game? Does bear baiting conflict with other regulations that prohibit
people feeding bears and other wildlife?

Because bait stations are carefully regulated and because Alaska law
prohibits feeding bears and other wildlife in other circumstances,
Ballot Measure 3 is unnecessary. While some people may be
philosophically opposed to bear baiting, the management of the state's
fish and game resources should be left in the hands of the
professionals at the Department of Fish and Game, not decided by
popular vote. A "no" vote is recommended on Ballot Measure 3.

Alaskans won't soon forget how U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski first came to
that position, by appointment of her father. But Ballot Measure 4,
which repeals state law that allows the governor to temporarily fill a
vacant seat in the U.S. Senate until an election is held and
certified, is not the cure. Opponents of the measure are right when
they say Alaskans should not go without representation in the U.S.
Senate until an election is held. The better answer is what was agreed
upon this past legislative session: Let the governor appoint a
qualified individual to fill the vacancy temporarily until a special
election is held and the results certified. A "no" vote is recommended
on Ballot Measure 4.