00 SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 193(JUD) 01 "An Act relating to the primary election and to the nomination of candidates for the 02 general election; and providing for an effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04  * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 05 to read: 06 PURPOSE. The purpose of this Act is to 07 (1) comply with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in California 08 Democratic Party v. Jones, 530 U.S. 567 (2000); and 09 (2) have a new system in place in time to conduct the next primary election in 10 an orderly and efficient manner consistent with this court decision. 11  * Sec. 2. AS 15.25.010 is amended to read: 12 Sec. 15.25.010. Provision for primary election. Candidates for the elective 13 state executive and state and national legislative offices shall be nominated in a 14 primary election by direct vote of the people in the manner prescribed by this chapter. 01 The director shall prepare and provide a primary election ballot for each  02 political party. A voter registered as affiliated with a political party may vote  03 that party's ballot. A voter not registered with a political party may not vote that  04 party's ballot unless permitted to do so under AS 15.25.014. 05  * Sec. 3. AS 15.25 is amended by adding a new section to read: 06 Sec. 15.25.014. Participation in primary election selection of a political  07 party's candidates. (a) Not later than 5:00 p.m., Alaska time, on September 1 of the 08 calendar year before the calendar year in which a primary election is to be held, a 09 political party shall submit a notice in writing to the director stating whether the party 10 bylaws expand who may participate in the primary election for selection of the party's 11 candidates for elective state executive and state and national legislative offices. A 12 copy of the party's bylaws expanding who may participate in the primary election for 13 selection of the party's candidates, documentation required under (b) of this section, 14 and other information required by the director, must be submitted along with the 15 notice. The notice, bylaws, documentation, and other information required by the 16 director shall be provided by the party's chairperson or another party official 17 designated by the party's bylaws. 18 (b) Once a political party timely submits a notice and bylaws under (a) of this 19 section and the director finds that the party has met the requirements of this chapter 20 and other applicable laws, the director shall permit a voter not registered as affiliated 21 with the party to vote the party's ballot if the voter is permitted by the party's bylaws to 22 participate in the selection of the party's candidates. However, for a subsequent 23 primary election, the party shall timely submit another notice, bylaws, documentation, 24 and other information under (a) of this section if the party's bylaws regarding who may 25 participate in the primary election for selection of the party's candidates change. 26 (c) Party bylaws required to be submitted under (a) of this section must be 27 precleared by the United States Department of Justice under 42 U.S.C. 1973c (sec. 5, 28 Voting Rights Act of 1965) before submission. Documentation of the preclearance 29 must accompany the bylaws submitted under (a) of this section. 30  * Sec. 4. AS 15.25.060 is repealed and reenacted to read: 31 Sec. 15.25.060. Preparation and distribution of ballots. (a) The primary 01 election ballots shall be prepared and distributed by the director in the manner 02 prescribed in this section. The director shall prepare and provide a primary election 03 ballot for each political party that contains all of the candidates of that party for 04 elective state executive and state and national legislative offices. The director shall 05 print the ballots on white paper and place the names of all candidates who have 06 properly filed in groups according to offices. The order of the placement of the names 07 for each office shall be as provided for the general election ballot. Blank spaces may 08 not be provided on the ballot for the writing or pasting in of names. 09 (b) A voter may vote only one primary election ballot. A voter may vote a 10 political party ballot only if the voter is registered as affiliated with that party, or is 11 allowed to participate in the party primary under the party's bylaws. For the purpose 12 of determining which primary election ballot a voter may use, a voter's party 13 affiliation is considered to be the affiliation registered with the director as of the 30th 14 day before the primary election. If a voter changes party affiliation within the 30 days 15 before the primary election, the voter's previous party affiliation shall be used for the 16 determination under this subsection. 17  * Sec. 5. AS 15.25.150 is amended to read: 18 Sec. 15.25.150. Date of filing petition.  A candidate seeking nomination by  19 petition shall submit the information required under AS 15.25.180(a)(1) - (8) and  20 (11) - (17) to the director in the time and manner specified in AS 15.25.040. The  21 full petition with voter signatures shall be [THE PETITION IS] filed with the 22 director by actual physical delivery in person at or before 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, 23 on the day of the primary election [JUNE 1] in the year in which a general election 24 is held for the office, or by actual physical delivery to the director by registered or 25 certified mail return receipt requested which is postmarked at or before 5:00 p.m., 26 prevailing time, on the day of the primary election [JUNE 1] in the year in which a 27 general election is held for the office, and received not more than 15 days after that 28 time. If the postmark is illegible, a dated receipt from the post office where dispatched 29 shall be acceptable as evidence of mailing. [IF JUNE 1 IS A SUNDAY OR 30 HOLIDAY, THE DEADLINES FOR POSTMARKING AND RECEIPT OF THE 31 PETITION SHALL BE EXTENDED 24 HOURS IN EACH INSTANCE.] 01 * Sec. 6. AS 15.25.180(a) is amended to read: 02 (a) The petition must state in substance 03 (1) the full name of the candidate; 04 (2) the full residence address of the candidate and the date on which 05 residency at that address began; 06 (3) the full mailing address of the candidate; 07 (4) the name of the political group, if any, supporting the candidate; 08 (5) if the candidacy is for the office of state senator or state 09 representative, the house or senate district of which the candidate is a resident; 10 (6) the office for which the candidate is nominated; 11 (7) the date of the election at which the candidate seeks election; 12 (8) the length of residency in the state and in the district of the 13 candidate; 14 (9) that the subscribers are qualified voters of the state or house or 15 senate district in which the candidate resides; 16 (10) that the subscribers request that the candidate's name be placed on 17 the primary election ballot; 18 (11) that the proposed candidate accepts the nomination and will serve 19 if elected, with the statement signed by the proposed candidate; 20 (12) the name of the candidate as the candidate wishes it to appear on 21 the ballot; 22 (13) that the candidate is not a candidate for any other office to be 23 voted on at the primary or general election and that the candidate is not a candidate for 24 this office under any other nominating petition or declaration of candidacy; 25 (14) that the candidate meets the specific citizenship requirements of 26 the office for which the person is a candidate; 27 (15) that the candidate will meet the specific age requirements of the 28 office for which the person is a candidate by the time that the candidate, if elected, is 29 sworn into office; [AND] 30 (16) that the candidate is a qualified voter; and  31 (17) if the candidacy is for the office of the governor, the name of  01 the candidate for lieutenant governor running jointly with the candidate for  02 governor. 03  * Sec. 7. AS 15.25.185 is amended to read: 04 Sec. 15.25.185. Eligibility of candidate. The provisions of AS 15.25.042 and 05 15.25.043 apply to determinations of a candidate's eligibility when a candidate seeks 06 nomination by petition under AS 15.25.140 - 15.25.200 [AS 15.25.140 - 15.25.205]. 07  * Sec. 8. AS 15.25.190 is amended to read: 08 Sec. 15.25.190. Placement of names on general [PRIMARY] election  09 ballot. The director shall place the names and the political group affiliation of persons 10 who have been properly nominated by petition on the general [PRIMARY] election 11 ballot. 12  * Sec. 9. AS 15.25.200 is amended to read: 13 Sec. 15.25.200. Withdrawal of candidate's name. If a candidate nominated 14 by petition dies or withdraws 15 [(1)] after the petition has been filed [AND AT LEAST 48 DAYS 16 BEFORE THE DATE OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION, THE DIRECTOR MAY 17 NOT PLACE THE NAME OF THE CANDIDATE ON THE PRIMARY ELECTION 18 BALLOT; OR 19 (2) ON OR AFTER THE DATE OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION] 20 and 48 days or more before the general election, the director may not place the name 21 of the candidate on the general election ballot. 22  * Sec. 10. AS 15.25.205 is repealed. 23  * Sec. 11. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).