05 JUN 1974: Anchorage Daily News

Campaign '74

JUNEAU -- The state attorney general's office has ruled three candidates for statewide office who apparently missed the filing deadline can go on the Aug. 27 primary ballot.

Among those was North Slope Borough Mayor Eben Hopson who filed for the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Hopson filed May 31 but his papers did not reach Juneau until Monday. Researching the legal tangle when Hopson and two other candidates submitted their papers after the June 1 deadline was Asst. Atty. Gen. R. L. Peters.

Lt. Gov. H.A. "Red" Boucher, with whom the papers are filed, said it was possible that deadline requirements could be construed literally because there was no Saturday mail delivery.

Statutes require filing papers be in the physical possession of the lieutenant governor's office before the deadline. Candidates must notify state officials by telegram if the filing papers will be late.

The envelopes carrying the filing papers of Hopson, US Senate hopeful Red Stevens of Anchorage and Democrat James Tallman of Anchorage for Lieutenant governor were postmarked May 31.

"The attorney general's office decided ruling against the three would be on a technicality," Boucher said. "They cannot be held responsible for a lack of Saturday mail delivery."

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