By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 9, 2026 – The former chairman of the Alaskan Independence Party is urging Attorney General Stephen Cox to intervene after state elections officials confirmed the party’s dissolution earlier this year.
Bob Bird, a longtime figure in Alaska politics and a former leader of the AIP, sent a letter to Cox objecting to the decision by party officers to disband what has been Alaska’s third-largest political party.
Bird argues that the dissolution was improperly carried out by a small group of party leaders without the approval of the broader membership.
“It is my contention that a 3-member board had no authority, within the party’s accepted by-laws, to declare the party defunct,” Bird wrote.
The Alaskan Independence Party has historically maintained a significant presence in state politics, and Bird noted in his letter that the party has more than 19,000 registered members.
According to Bird, the decision to dissolve the party was confirmed by the Alaska Division of Elections after the party’s most recent officers resigned and announced the party would disband.
Bird disputes that process and says no statewide convention was held to allow members to vote on whether the party should cease to exist.
“No political party, especially one whose impact on state politics is large and undeniable… can dissolve itself without first calling a statewide convention,” he wrote.
Bird also criticized the Division of Elections for proceeding without consulting him or other longtime party officials, including Mark Chryson, whom Bird described as the party’s parliamentarian, historian, and a former chairman.
Bird said he repeatedly contacted Division of Elections communications specialist Stephen Kirch, requesting that no decision be made without consultation, but said he received no response.
In his letter, Bird asked the attorney general to reverse the Division of Elections’ decision and recognize that the party still exists until its members can formally decide its future.
He requested that the state allow a public call to convention so party members could either confirm the dissolution or elect new leadership.
Bird also asked for a list of registered AIP members to assist with credentialing convention delegates.
Bird concluded by asking for an expedited review of the matter and requested a conference call with Cox and Chryson before any final decision is made.
Founded in the 1970s by activist Joe Vogler, the Alaskan Independence Party long advocated for greater state sovereignty and at times even supported a referendum on Alaska’s independence.
The party became Alaska’s most prominent third-party force, peaking at more than 19,000 registered members and achieving its greatest electoral success in 1990, when former Republican Gov. Wally Hickel won the governor’s office on the AIP ticket. (Hickel’s great niece, Bernadette Wilson, is now a candidate for governor as a Republican.)
On Dec. 7, the AIP’s board of directors, including chair John Wayne Howe, treasurer Benjamin Petrochko, and secretary Robert Williams, voted to disband and notified the Alaska Division of Elections. In a public statement, leaders said the party had been “legally alive yet spiritually dead,” citing member apathy, widespread confusion about the party’s identity, and declining grassroots engagement.
At the time of dissolution, the AIP had 19,117 registered members, about 3% of Alaska’s voters. The Division of Elections acknowledged the dissolution in January and began notifying members that they had 30 days to update their registration or be automatically moved to undeclared status.
The Alaska Department of Law has not yet responded publicly to Bird’s request, and it remains unclear whether the attorney general has authority to overturn the Division of Elections’ determination.
