4
THOMPSON v. HEBDON
Per Curiam
Alaska permits contributions up to 18 months prior to the
general election and thus allows a maximum contribution
of $1,000 over a comparable two-year period. Alaska Stat.
§15.13.074(c)(1). Accordingly, Alaska’s limit is less than
two-thirds of the contribution limit we upheld in Shrink.
Second, Alaska’s individual-to-candidate contribution
limit is “substantially lower than . . . comparable limits in
other States.” Randall, 548 U. S., at 253. Most state contribution limits apply on a per-election basis, with primary
and general elections counting as separate elections. Because an individual can donate the maximum amount
in both the primary and general election cycles, the perelection contribution limit is comparable to Alaska’s annual
limit and 18-month campaign period, which functionally allow contributions in both the election year and the year preceding it. Only five other States have any individual-tocandidate contribution limit of $500 or less per election:
Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, and Montana. Colo.
Const., Art. XXVIII, §3(1)(b); 8 Colo. Code Regs. 1505–6,
Rule 10.17.1(b)(2) (2019); Conn. Gen. Stat. §9–611(a)(5)
(2017); Kan. Stat. Ann. §25–4153(a)(2) (2018 Cum. Supp.);
Me. Rev. Stat. Ann., Tit. 21–A, §1015(1) (2018 Cum. Supp.);
Mont. Code Ann. §§13–37–216(1)(a)(ii), (iii) (2017). Moreover, Alaska’s $500 contribution limit applies uniformly to
all offices, including Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
Alaska Stat. §15.13.070(b)(1). But Colorado, Connecticut,
Kansas, Maine, and Montana all have limits above $500 for
candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, making
Alaska’s law the most restrictive in the country in this regard. Colo. Const., Art. XXVIII, §3(1)(a)(I); 8 Colo. Code
Regs. 1505–6, Rule 10.17.1(b)(1)(A); Conn. Gen. Stat. §§9–
611(a)(1), (2); Kan. Stat. Ann. §25–4153(a)(1); Me. Rev.
Stat. Ann., Tit. 21–A, §1015(1); Mont. Code Ann. §13–37–
216(1)(a)(i).
Third, Alaska’s contribution limit is not adjusted for inflation. We observed in Randall that Vermont’s “failure to