Legislature(2017 - 2018)GRUENBERG 120
03/07/2017 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB127 | |
| HB112 | |
| HB1 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 127 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 112 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 1-ELECTION REGISTRATION AND VOTING
4:34:52 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 1, "An Act relating to absentee voting,
voting, and voter registration; relating to early voting
locations at which persons may vote absentee ballots; and
providing for an effective date."
4:35:45 PM
KENDRA KLOESTER, Staff, Representative Chris Tuck, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Tuck, prime sponsor of
HB 1, provided the committee with a sectional analysis of the
proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 1, labeled 30-
LS0070\D, Bullard, 3/6/17 [hereafter referred to as Version D].
She reported the following: Section 1, which relates to same-
day voter registration, would remain unchanged; Section 2, which
relates to electronic signature and options for individuals with
no Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) licenses, would remain
unchanged; and Section 3, which requires same-day voting
registrants to vote on a questioned ballot, also would remain
unchanged.
MS. KLOESTER relayed that Sections 4-7 would be new sections in
HB 1 to make conforming changes to the sections of Chapter 15
related to same-day voter registration. She explained that
Section 8 would change the term "absentee voting" to "early
voting" to provide more clarity for the public regarding the
voting terms - absentee-in-person voting, absentee voting, and
early voting - and to promote understanding of the early voting
process.
MS. KLOESTER said that Section 9 would be a new section
requiring a voter, who registers and votes a questioned ballot,
to sign a declaration of residency with the understanding that
falsification of information on the voter registration is
considered a Class A misdemeanor. She stated that Sections 10
and 11 would address the requirements for submitting the
declaration described in Section 9. She mentioned that Section
12-15 would change the terminology from "absentee voting" to
"early voting".
MS. KLOESTER stated that Section 16, included in the original
version of HB 1, would provide on the absentee ballot an option
for the applicant to automatically receive an absentee ballot
every year. She added that Version D would include language
that an applicant could be taken off the list of recurring
ballot mailings if his/her address became "bad."
MS. KLOESTER relayed the following: Section 17 would make
conforming changes for voter registration; Section 18 would
address the definition of electronic signature; Section 19 would
clarify "early" versus "absentee voting" language; and Section
20 would amend AS 29.26.050 to add a new subsection (d) related
to same-day voter registration. She explained that Section 21
would repeal AS 29.26.050(a)(3) due to the proposed addition of
subsection (d) by Section 20. She said that Sections 22 and 23,
providing an effective date and transitional language, would
remain unchanged.
4:42:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH asked to what extent Version D has been
coordinated with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
MS. KLOESTER replied that she has been working with Director
Josie Bahnke and other staff in the Division of Elections (DOE).
She offered that Ms. Bahnke could provide information about
communication with Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott and his
staff regarding Version D. She added that before introduction
of HB 1, Representative Tuck's staff met with the lieutenant
governor, his staff, Claire Richardson, and the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Regional Association to review the
changes and provide updates.
4:43:36 PM
JOSIE BAHNKE, Director, Division of Elections (DOE), Office of
the Lieutenant Governor, responded that the lieutenant governor
has been briefed on HB 1. She added that DOE staff has not had
the opportunity to fully analyze Version D and attended this
hearing to better understand it. She asserted that after
briefly reviewing Version D, she has identified some significant
and interrelated administrative and drafting issues but added
that her staff will continue working with Representative Tuck's
Office to resolve these issues.
4:45:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP said that he has issues with same-day
registration, and he asked if same-day registration would mean a
person could vote the same day as he/she registered to vote.
MS. BAHNKE answered affirmatively and added that currently one
must register 30 days before voting in an election.
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP stated that he is not comfortable with
requiring only an affidavit declaring residency for same-day
voting. He asked if the proposed legislation could require
documentation to demonstrate residency, such as a current
utility bill, a bank statement, a local paycheck, or a
government check. He added that he would prefer a six-month
residency requirement for voting eligibility in a district, as
that would give the voter more familiarity with the candidates
and issues.
MS. KLOESTER replied that there are states that require a person
to show a utility bill or identification to register to vote on
the same day. She suggested that Representative Tuck's staff
could explore that possibility with Representative Knopp's staff
and DOE.
4:48:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK, as prime sponsor of HB 1, reminded the
committee members that a person must be a resident 30 days
before the election to vote, and that would not change under the
proposed legislation. He stated that he is open to changes to
the proposed legislation regarding how and when residency is
established for voter registration.
4:49:08 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 4:49 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
4:50:27 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS stated that HB 1 was held over.