Legislature(2021 - 2022)
2022-01-18 Senate Journal
Full Journal pdf2022-01-18 Senate Journal Page 1603 SB 167 SENATE BILL NO. 167 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled: "An Act relating to elections, voter registration, ballots, and a system of tracking and accounting for ballots; establishing an election offense hotline; relating to election fraud, election interference, and election official misconduct; requiring signature verification, notice, and the opportunity to cure; and providing for an effective date." was read the first time and referred to the State Affairs and Finance Committees. The following fiscal information was published today: Fiscal Note No. 1, Office of the Governor Governor's transmittal letter dated January 17: Dear President Micciche: Under the authority of Article III, Section 18, of the Alaska Constitution, I am transmitting a bill relating to elections. This bill will improve voter rolls, secure absentee and in-person voting, and increase the identification and investigation of election crimes. By ensuring election integrity, this bill will give all Alaskans confidence in the election process, including election outcomes. 2022-01-18 Senate Journal Page 1604 This bill will improve voter rolls by requiring that Permanent Fund Dividend applicants request voter registration in order to be registered and directing the Division of Elections to update its voter list maintenance practices, audit the voter list every other year, and issue reports to the Legislature. The bill will provide more secure absentee voting practices by requiring signature matching, notice, and cure for all absentee ballots, prohibiting the Division from sending unrequested absentee ballots, outlawing ballot harvesting, allowing voters to request absentee ballots in four year increments, and require the provision of prepaid envelopes with all absentee ballots. The bill will secure in-person voting by prohibiting voters from providing alternate forms of identification and preventing those providing assistance at the polls from influencing voters. The bill will further define unlawful interference with elections, election fraud, and election official misconduct, create a toll-free number to report these and other election crimes, and require that police officers receive training in detecting and investigating election crimes. The bill will further ensure election integrity by allowing additional hand counts, prohibiting private funding for elections, requiring the centralized destruction of election materials, and instituting routine forensic examinations and strict chain-of-custody protocols for voting machines. In order to establish a more trustworthy election system, I urge your prompt and favorable action on this measure. Sincerely, /s/ Mike Dunleavy Governor