The Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee will hear SB 161 on Thursday, February 17, at 3:30 p.m. This is the bill to ease the definition of a qualified party, from a group with registration equal to 3% of the last vote cast, to exactly 5,000. The current law now requires 10,821 registrants.
Similar bills have been introduced in Alaska in the past, but this is the first time such a bill has been scheduled for a legislative hearing. Thanks to Scott Kohlhaas for this news.
The number should be reduced to 25.
There is no reason that qualification for the presidential ballot should be more restrictive than for other statewide offices such as governor/lieutenant governor, US Senator, and US Representative. Pay the filing fee, along with a VP candidate, and three elector candidates. If the Democratic, Libertarian, etc. parties wish to help their presidential candidate qualify they would be free to do so.