Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska providing that the governor, United States senator, United States representative, and electors of the President and Vice-President of the United States be elected by a majority vote.

Alaskan's are looking for leadership from their elected representatives and are demanding accountability. However many people in the state feel betrayed because the men or women elected at the statewide level are not necessarily selected by a majority. This is most apparent by the continued decline in the voter turnout, 50.11 percent in 1998.

There are at least five political parties on the ballot in races ranging from Alaska's lone Congressional seat to the Governor/Lieutenant Governor race. While these parties and their candidates represent the true diversity of Alaska they could also leave the winner of the race without that clear majority vote. In the last Gubernatorial General Election 48.73 percent of the vote was split between four candidates. Prior to that, the last Governor to be elected by a majority was Bill Egan in 1970.

SJR 40 will correct that by allowing the people of Alaska to decide if they want the opportunity to elect statewide candidates with a majority vote. The resolution does not mandate how a majority vote will be reached, as currently there are different ideas on how that should be done. If passed by the public it gives the next Legislature a clear mandate that a plan must be put in place prior to the 2002 general election.

This resolution will establish the future of statewide elections and create a sense of representation to all Alaskans, as the individual holding the seat will be there with a clear majority of the voters.