Bill targeting dark money and digital ad gaps heads to House State Affairs — if it gets a hearing

By SUZANNE DOWNING

April 11, 2026 – An elections bill aimed at tightening campaign finance rules and forcing greater disclosure of political spending is now before the Alaska House State Affairs Committee, where its future may hinge on whether it is scheduled for a hearing.

House Bill 371, sponsored by Rep. Kevin McCabe, proposes a series of updates to the state’s decades-old campaign finance framework — changes supporters say are overdue in the age of digital campaigning and outside spending.

At its core, the measure would require any group supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot proposition to maintain a physical address in Alaska, creating a clear in-state point of contact for voters and regulators. The bill also expands disclosure requirements, mandating more detailed reporting on contributors, as well as the officers and directors of entities making political donations.

Another key provision targets so-called “bundled” contributions, which are large sums collected and delivered by intermediaries. The bill would require disclosure of those bundler agents coordinating or aggregating the funds.

The legislation also takes aim at independent expenditure groups, particularly those receiving most of their funding from outside Alaska. Such organizations would be classified as “majority nonresident-funded entities” and required to prominently disclose that status in their political messaging.

That provision is critical in a state where Outside money has outsized influence on ballot measures and campaigns.

HB 371 further tightens reporting timelines, including enhanced 24-hour reporting requirements for significant independent expenditures made close to an election. It also updates rules governing leftover campaign funds after elections, requiring clearer and more appropriate disbursement.

The full title of the bill is long: “An Act requiring a group supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot proposition in a state or local election to maintain an address in the state; amending campaign contribution disclosure requirements; requiring the disclosure of certain persons who coordinate and aggregate individual campaign contributions; limiting contributions to groups or nongroup entities that make only independent expenditures; requiring certain groups and nongroup entities to register with the Alaska Public Offices Commission as majority-nonresident-funded entities; requiring certain disclosures in communications funded by independent expenditures; relating to disbursement of campaign assets after an election; and providing for an effective date.”

Alaska’s current campaign finance system, administered by the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), is based on statutes written in 1972, long before the rise of online advertising, social media, and modern fundraising tools.

Those outdated rules have struggled to keep pace with digital campaigns, creating confusion and inconsistent enforcement.

Among the challenges cited: How to report digital ad spending when costs are not finalized upfront, such as boosted social media posts or streaming “pre-roll” ads, and how to account for geotargeted messaging that can reach specific audiences without broad public visibility.

Those gaps have led to frustration among campaigns and widespread concerns that APOC lacks clear guardrails for modern political activity.

This is a transparency bill that provides some sideboards for both regulators and campaigns while giving voters a clearer picture of who is trying to influence elections.

The House State Affairs Committee is chaired by Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks. Whether it receives a hearing remains uncertain. Committee chairs control the flow of legislation, and measures that are not scheduled can effectively stall out.

Its next committee is House Judiciary Committee, if it can make it out of House State Affairs. It is on the April 11 calendar for the committee, but so are six other bills.