State regulators have fined proponents of the 2024 ranked choice repeal ballot measure nearly $157,000 for what officials called “egregious and widespread” violations of campaign finance laws.
The Alaska Public Offices Commission issued its unanimous final order in the long-running case on Monday. The five commissioners levied unusually large penalties in the case, brought against ranked choice opponent Art Mathias and three groups led by Mathias and Phil Izon. The six-figure civil penalty follows earlier fines of roughly $90,000.
The case stretches back to July of 2023, when ranked choice advocates accused the groups — Alaskans for Honest Elections, Alaskans for Honest Government, the Ranked Choice Education Association, plus Mathias himself — of failing to register with regulators, file accurate reports on time, and disclose the true source of their campaign funds.
Scott Kendall represents Alaskans for Better Elections, which brought the case to the campaign finance agency, also known as APOC.
"They got ordered to comply with the law and (were) given pretty explicit instruction from APOC — this is how you comply," Kendall said. "They just ultimately did none of the things they were told to do."
Commissioners said Izon and Mathias’ groups had “proven themselves shockingly poor at complying with their reporting obligations” and issued the maximum fine allowed by law.
“None of the respondents provided reports anywhere close to accurate about the amounts and sources for their campaign spending before the election,” the commission said in its order.
The groups’ listed attorney, former Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, did not respond to a request for comment. Izon declined to comment, citing an ongoing Supreme Court appeal of the earlier ruling. In filings with campaign regulators, the groups said they planned to dissolve or already had, which would leave no one to pay the fines. Representatives for the groups did not attend a hearing on Jan. 16 where the commission considered the order.
Kendall said it all adds up to a deliberate attempt to avoid accountability — and he said he’s worried the episode could serve as a model for politicians looking for a loophole in state campaign finance laws.
"If this behavior is allowed, then future players, future political players, have every incentive to form a sham entity, do whatever they want to do, not report, and … as soon as they get a complaint against them, they just bankrupt the entity," Kendall said.
The commission said in its order the decision “vindicates the public interest” even if dissolving the groups makes enforcing the fines more difficult. Kendall said he’d like to see APOC levy the fines directly against Izon and Mathias.
Izon and Mathias can appeal the decision in court within 30 days.