Alaskans Demand End To Daylight Saving, Lawmakers Move

Alaskans are tired of shifting clocks twice a year, and the legislature is wrestling with two competing bills — one to lock the state into permanent daylight saving time and another to lock in permanent standard time — while locals and lawmakers debate the practical and cultural tradeoffs of each option.

I’ve never been a fan of the whole Daylight/Standard time, spring ahead, fall back horse squeeze. It’s an old system. It’s an outdated system that causes hassle for many people, and some states, like Arizona and Hawaii, already opt out of the change.

Large majorities of Alaskans tell pollsters they’re sick of changing their clocks twice a year. And for years, lawmakers have introduced bills that would stop us from springing forward and falling back.

This year is no exception. But the thornier question is, what time should it be?

In some sense, it’s principle versus pragmatism. Nature versus industry. Early birds versus night owls.

The one thing three quarters of Alaskans seem to agree on, said Eagle River Republican Sen. Kelly Merrick, is that it should be one or the other.

“What they’re telling us is simple,” she told the House State Affairs Committee on Saturday. “They’re tired of changing the clocks.”

Polls show strong support for ending the twice-yearly clock switch, and that sentiment is now reflected in bills moving through the state capitol. Lawmakers in Juneau have two clear alternatives: choose daylight saving permanently or choose standard time permanently. Both sides claim practical advantages and both appeal to different daily rhythms.

One bill would keep Alaska on what amounts to permanent daylight saving time by aligning with Pacific Standard Time year-round, effectively making “spring forward” permanent. Senator Kelly Merrick is the prime sponsor of that proposal and has pushed the idea that consistency matters more than which clock is chosen.

Merrick is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 26, passed by the state Senate last year, which would petition the federal government to move Alaska to Pacific Standard Time year-round. That would effectively lock in daylight saving time for Alaska.

Simply put, one day, we’d spring forward, and never fall back.

The alternative, proposed in the State House, would keep Alaska on permanent standard time. Representative Ky Holland argues that standard time is simpler because it requires no federal action and fits within the existing legal framework for states that choose not to observe daylight saving time.

In the opposite corner is Anchorage independent Rep. Ky Holland.

“Nothing we do here will change the number of hours in a day,” he said. “We cannot legislate the sun to rise early or set later.”

Holland is behind a competing bill, House Bill 229, that would move the state to permanent standard time. We’d fall back, and then never again spring forward.

One argument for standard time, he said, is that it would require no federal action: The Uniform Time Act of 1966 allows states to opt out of daylight saving time. Hawaii and Arizona already do.

Practical concerns pop up quickly when you think about Alaska’s unique geography and relationship to the rest of the country. Being far west and so far north means sunlight hours swing wildly by season, and coordinating with the East Coast, international partners, or even national news cycles adds another layer of inconvenience for business people and remote workers.

Some residents point out that the change to permanent daylight saving time could make evening hours more usable, which helps retail, leisure, and family activities in summer months. Others counter that permanent standard time better supports morning schedules, school start times, and circadian health, especially in winter months when daylight is scarce.

And sure, every summer, we’d be five hours behind the East Coast — but Alaska’s unique position on the globe is its own advantage, Holland said.

“From here, within a single work day, we can engage with Europe in the morning, the Americas during the day, and East Asia in the afternoon,” he said.

Federalism plays a part in the discussion because states have different options under federal law, but Alaska’s size and latitude make no choice perfect. The argument for choosing one consistent time is that it removes the twice-yearly disruption that many find pointless and annoying. The argument against any change is that it may create new mismatches with business partners and daily life that residents have already adapted to.

Conversations in Juneau and among voters are straightforward and blunt, reflecting Alaska’s culture: pick one and stick with it. Lawmakers are hearing the public’s frustration, and the two bills provide a clear choice that will likely drive debate through the session as officials weigh local preference, federal constraints, and economic consequences.

The legislature will ultimately have to decide whether to petition for a federal shift, opt out within existing law, or keep the current system in place, but for many Alaskans, the real point is decisive action. No more clock fiddling twice a year; choose a time and make it permanent so people can plan without the annual disruption.