By SUZANNE DOWNING
March 27, 2026 – The newly formed Alaskan Party is now officially listed by the Alaska Division of Elections as a political group, marking the next step in the fallout from the sudden dissolution of the Alaskan Independence Party at the end of 2025. Voters who wish to join the fledgling party can now do so on the Division of Elections website.
Robert Bird of Kenai, the former chairman of the Alaskan Independence Party, is listed as the contact for the new organization. Earlier this month, the group approved its bylaws and filed with the Division of Elections, which has now posted the Alaskan Party alongside other political groups such as the Constitution Party and Green Party.
The designation matters. A political group is not the same as a recognized political party in Alaska. Currently, the state recognizes three political parties: Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian. Political groups are organizations that are trying to build membership toward official party status.
Under Alaska law, a group must reach 5,000 registered voters affiliated with it to become a recognized political party. Once that threshold is reached, the Division of Elections director formally recognizes the group as a political party, giving it additional standing in elections and ballot treatment. Alaskan Independence Party had over 19,000 registrants when it dissolved in December, making it Alaska’s third largest party.
What happened to the Alaskan Independence Party?
The creation of the Alaskan Party follows that controversial dissolution. Bird and others objected to the move, arguing that the party leadership shut down the organization without holding a statewide convention of members, which they said violated party rules.
Former Alaskan Independence Party chair asks Attorney General to reverse party dissolution
Bird sought to have the dissolution paused or reversed, but that effort did not succeed. With the AIP no longer recognized, Bird and supporters have opted to start over with a new organization rather than attempt to revive the dissolved party.
The new Alaskan Party now begins the process from scratch. While the Alaskan Independence Party once had well over the 5,000-member threshold, those registrations did not automatically transfer to the new group. Voters who want to affiliate with the Alaskan Party must actively change their registration. At present, the Division has placed them into the “Undeclared” category, which is Alaska’s largest group of voters.
Bob Bird: Who should re-register with the renamed ALASKAN PARTY?
There are currently seven political groups listed by the Division of Elections. The Alaskan Party joins them as an organization seeking to build membership and ultimately qualify as a recognized political party.
If the group reaches the 5,000-registrant threshold, it would become Alaska’s fourth recognized political party.
