Sponsor Statement for SB 60

Senate Bill 60 is intended to seek the advice of the voters of Alaska on the controversial issue of capital punishment.

Passage of SB 60 will not impose the death penalty in Alaska. It simply places on the ballot the question: "Shall the Alaska State Legislature enact a law providing for capital punishment for murder in the first degree and establishing procedures for the imposition of capital punishment that are consistent with the United States Constitution as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court?".

For years opinion poll after opinion poll have reflected the desire of the people of Alaska to have the death penalty available as an option in this state. SB 60 seeks to employ the ultimate poll, that of the ballot box, in a non-binding vote.

Given the option of a death penalty or life in prison without parole, 555 Alaskans polled statewide in March, 1996, favored the death penalty by a 62% margin, with 35% choosing life without parole. It is especially significant that only 5% of the respondents said they were undecided.

Support for the death penalty crossed all demographics, including location, gender, age, party affiliation, employment status and length of time in the community.

There are those who argue that the people of Alaska are somehow unqualified to render advice on this issue. They argue that the ballot question itself is too "simplistic".

Alaska has one of the youngest, best educated and well read populations in the nation. Judging from the campaign already being mounted against SB 60, the organized groups opposed to capital punishment will most certainly conduct a vigorous campaign when this issue reaches the ballot. Alaskans will cast votes based in information, not emotion.

Issues such as the cost and effectiveness of capital punishment will be part of any campaign on the ballot question and will need to be explored at length if the voters advise the 21st Alaska State Legislature to pursue this issue.

For now, we are talking about placing an advisory vote on the ballot, at a cost of about $2,500.