Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
04/10/2018 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB190 | |
| HB1 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 190 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 235 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 1-ELECTION REGISTRATION AND VOTING
4:37:20 PM
CHAIR MEYER announced the consideration of House Bill 1 (HB 1).
4:37:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 1, provided an overview as follows:
House Bill 1 is dealing with elections, it is
important that every Alaskan has the opportunity to
have their voice heard in the election process. When
we exercise our right to vote we can have an impact on
our community far beyond an election. We are electing
individuals who are representing us and making
decisions on behalf of everyone. We are setting
policies that guide our state and voting on issues
that impact our community.
House Bill 1 includes a series of changes designed to
create voter participation and access to voting across
the state by improving and clarifying the voting
process and these changes include: providing same-day-
voter registration to allow all eligible Alaskans the
opportunity to vote; enhancing online voter
registration with electronic signatures to make the
registration process quicker and easier; ensuring the
same early-voting locations are available during every
election; creating an option for permanent absentee
voting for individuals that plan to vote by mail every
year; clarifying and unifying terminology for early
voting [inaudible] confusion between early voting and
absentee in-person voting, that's probably one of the
biggest things right there because absentee and in-
person voting confuses people, it is a form of early
voting, it just depends on where you are voting
whether it is truly an early voting or absentee in-
person voting because I think it is kind of an
oxymoron, which is it, are you there or not there, are
you an in-person or an out-person, are you absent or
not absent.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK detailed that feedback from previous
committee hearings and the Division of Elections resulted in
changes to clean up and clarify the election statutes. He noted
that the election statutes had not been updated since 1960.
4:40:02 PM
KENDRA KLOSTER, Staff, Representative Tuck, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided an overview of HB 1 as
follows:
We started out with 13 sections which is now up to 31.
We have been working closely with the Division of
Elections and kind of turning into a clean-up bill, as
mentioned. Some of the things that are in there are
currently being done but are not reflected in our
statutes, so I wanted to take the opportunity to clean
that up.
I've also had the privilege of working with a number
of individuals, ANCSA [Alaska Native Claims Settlement
Act] Regional Association and AFN [Alaska Federation
of Natives] who have letters of support in here and a
lot of these recommendations and things that we have
talked about have come from them as well, especially
looking at the rural areas and one of the issues
talked about is early voting locations. A lot of times
things might change, so they wanted a little bit more
consistency to know we're going to have the same early
voting location every single year and so that's some
of the clarifying language in there. The absentee in-
person voting, so you don't have to keep filling out,
some people might vote from home because they are
disabled, and they keep having to fill out an
application every year to get their ballot when they
know, "Well, every year I'm going to be voting
absentee because I can't make it to the pole." So,
what it will do is just add on an extra box that you
can add on there and say, "Yes, I want it every year,"
but they will fall off the rolls of getting that
ballot if they don't keep voting.
In my off-time I've worked with "Get Out the Native
Vote" from a non-partisan organization where they just
want clarifying language with the early absentee
voting because I've heard many stories especially in
the rural areas where there was a lot of confusion and
some people even got turned away at voting locations
because, "Oh, you need reasons to vote or this is an
absentee or here you are not early voting." I know
those organizations have been doing a lot of
education, so they know what early voting is and this
was a terminology they wanted to clarify.
4:42:26 PM
MS. KLOSTER referenced the sectional analysis as follows:
Section 1
Removes language from AS 15.05.010 that requires a
qualified voter to register under AS 15.07 before an
election.
Section 2
Permits a person registering or reregistering as a
voter to apply using an electronic signature.
Section 3
Requires that every registration form must include a
space for an applicant who is registered in another
jurisdiction to specify that jurisdiction. The
director will then notify the chief elections officer
in that jurisdiction.
Section 4
Instructing the director of the Division of Elections
to determine the form of electronic signature to be
used when registering to vote.
Section 5
Allows a qualified voter registering on the day of
election, or within 30 days of an election, to vote a
questioned ballot at that election.
Section 6
Amends AS 15.07.070(h) the procedure for registration
is amended to clarify the use of a special needs
ballot and clarifies that on the voter's certificate
on the ballot that registration includes a voter's
choice to declare a political party, non-partisan or
undeclared.
Section 7
Stating that section 15.07.070 includes special needs
ballot which is defined under 15.20.072.
Section 8
Amends AS 15.07.090(b) stating if a voter registration
is cancelled under AS 15.07.130 (voter registration
and list maintenance), and they re-register they shall
vote a questioned ballot.
4:44:52 PM
MS. KLOSTER referenced sections 9-19 as follows:
Section 9
Conforming language for same day voter registration.
This amends AS 15.07.090(c) voting after change of
name, reregistration to add language that states if
a person moved to a new precinct, they vote a
questioned ballot. This does not change that the
person must live in the precinct they are voting in
for at least 30 days.
Section 10
Cleans up language about a voter who is not found on
the voter registrar to vote a questioned ballot. By
voting a questioned ballot, there is a review process
by the division to ensure they are a qualified voter.
Section 11
Definition expansion for absentee or questioned ballot
to include a special needs ballot.
Section 12
Conforms AS 15.07.130(e) to changes made in section 19
of the bill which changes terminology of "absentee and
absentee in person voting" to early voting. This is to
clarify to the public as absentee in person voting
stations has been confusing, so we want to call it
what it is early voting.
Section 13
Clarifies privileges of poll watchers in a general
election or special election related to ballot
propositions.
Section 14
Adds a new section to AS 15.10.170 appointment and
privileges of poll watchers to clarify poll watchers
may be designated by prescient party chair, organized
group, or candidate. This is the language that was
removed in section 13 and made a new subsection.
Sections 15-18
Relates to questioned ballot procedure and adding a
declaration attesting to the fact that the voter has
been a resident of the election district for 30 days
and that all of the information provided by the voter
is accurate.
Section 19
Renames absentee voting stations "early voting
stations." Provides that a location designated as an
early voting station will remain an early voting
station for subsequent elections unless the location
is no longer available for use or the director of the
division of elections determines that the location is
no longer appropriate. Requires the director to make a
determination that a location is no longer appropriate
for use as an early voting station available to the
public in writing.
4:47:35 PM
MS. KLOSTER referenced sections 20-31 as follows:
Sections 20-23
Conforms AS 15.20.050 to changes made in Section 18
related to early voting stations.
Section 24
Allowing voter registration updates through electronic
absentee ballot and fax. Voter registration updates
are allowed through all other means, so the division
asked that we also allow for updates when people use
electronic transmissions.
Section 25
Requires an absentee ballot application to include an
option for a voter to choose to receive absentee
ballots by mail for future regularly scheduled state
elections. Provides conditions under which the
director may require a voter to reapply to receive
absentee ballots by mail.
Section 26
Conforming changes for same day voter registration.
Amends AS 15.25.060(b) relating to preparation and
distribution of ballots; appropriate ballot.
Section 27
Definition of electronic signature.
Section 28
Conforming to section 19 of the bill related to early
voting stations.
Section 29
Conforming to same day voter registration, stating
those who register within 30 days before a municipal
election shall vote an absentee, special needs or
questioned ballot in that election. The voter is
required to live in the district for at least 30 days.
Section 30
Conforming to same day voter registration. Repeals AS
29.26.050(a)(3): voter qualifications, is registered
to vote in state elections at a resident address
within a municipality at least 30 days before the
municipal election at which the person seeks to vote.
Section 31
Provides authority to the director of the division of
elections in uncodified law to adopt or amend
regulations as necessary to implement the changes made
by the Act.
4:49:10 PM
CHAIR MEYER commented as follows:
We certainly want to get as many people to vote as
possible, that's what makes America great, it's our
democracy; however, you also want people to be
informed when they vote. I wonder if somebody who can
think far enough ahead to register to vote that having
them vote on the same day, will they be informed? Some
of the issues are complex, especially when dealing
with bonds or initiatives.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied as follows:
One of things that we have is sometimes people haven't
changed their voter registration and sure, they could
still do a question ballot but the difference between
a question ballot and absentee ballot is a question
ballot a person may not be able to vote all of the way
down the ballot where an absentee voter can vote all
the way down the ballot.
When we use the term "absentee," absentee also means
those people who are voting by mail, they are not
necessarily absent. So, that's the reason why we are
looking at the terminology in some of the stuff
because it gets really confusing, especially when you
go in-person absentee voting.
We are trying to clean things up, make things a little
bit simpler, but for the person that is voting for the
first time ever, they still have to be an Alaska
resident for 30 days before hand, that does not
change, and their address has to be at that location
for 30 days, that doesn't change. If perhaps somebody
moves from one district to another district and they
get it 10 days before the election, they won't be able
to vote in that election, they can only vote in the
previous district that they were in and the absentee
ballot then becomes a question ballot if they do not
have the verification to show that they lived there
for 30 days.
So, that's kind of how it works, but you still,
constitutionally, have to be an Alaska resident for 30
days, you can't deny anyone to vote prior to that.
This is for Alaska residents that have been residents
for over 30 days that are voting for the first time.
4:51:46 PM
CHAIR MEYER asked if a person that registers can vote
immediately or must wait 30 days.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK explained that currently a person must
register 30 days before an election.
CHAIR MEYER asked if HB 1 would allow a person to register and
vote on the same day.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK answered correct.
CHAIR MEYER asked if a person that registers and votes on the
same day will be informed on the issues on the ballot versus a
person that registers 30 days ahead of time.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied as follows:
I think that's the reason why in our constitution we
still require them to be a resident for 30 days and
also, they claim where their residency is because if
somebody moved from one district to another district,
they may not know the issues of that other district,
they may not know the candidates so well. So, that's
why there is in our constitution the 30-day
requirement. So, you don't want them to vote down
ballot in that case.
4:52:57 PM
MS. KLOSTER pointed out that a lot of the registration issues
are being taken care of because people are now automatically
being registered to vote when they apply for their PFD. She said
one of the biggest issues is people are not changing their voter
registration, whether from moving or a change due to
redistricting. She said people should still be allowed to vote
so that their voices can be heard. She remarked that same day
voter registration will help individuals that move from one
district to another but emphasized that an individual would
still have to show that they've been in their new district for
30 days.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK commented on consistent polling locations as
follows:
That's one of the reasons why we want to keep the
polling locations for 10 years once they are
established because people are creatures of habit and
they like going to the same place to go vote, but if
they moved and they show up to the wrong polling
location, they can either be sent to the polling
location they have or they can do a question ballot
right then and there, but the example just given is a
good reason why some will be able to register to vote
and then on their ballot they can actually change
their voter registration as they cast their ballot.
4:55:12 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL addressed same-day registration and asked what
constitutes, "lived in Alaska for 30 days."
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied that he would refer to the Division
of Elections' application process and noted that the division
has verifiers.
MS. KLOSTER explained that a lot of things that the Division of
Elections does with registration will not change. She noted that
individuals must sign a declaration saying that they have been
in Alaska for 30 days and lying is a misdemeanor. She explained
that the intent of the same-day-voter registration is to confirm
that a person is an Alaska resident and noted that the person
would vote a question ballot that would be counted later for
verification. She reiterated that the process is not changing,
and the same-day-voter registrant's vote will be double-checked.
4:57:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK added that Alaska is part of the Electronic
Registration Information Center (ERIC) database that allows the
state to verify whether someone is registered somewhere else.
SENATOR WILSON addressed section 25, page 11, line 5. He asked
about absentee applications for individuals that have not voted
for four years and queried if the time period is random years or
consecutive years.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK answered that the section referenced four
consecutive years.
SENATOR WILSON asked if the word "consecutive" should be added
to the section.
MS. KLOSTER replied as follows:
They are not necessarily falling off of the voter
polls, what they are doing is just not receiving an
absentee ballot automatically, it's just making sure
we are not sending absentee ballots out to locations
that maybe someone does not live anymore. So, if they
received the ballot back, they will be taken off that
list but not necessarily taken off the eligibility to
vote, it's just not receiving that ballot, so making
sure we are not sending out to people who are no
longer living there. That was the other part, if you
were looking on lines 7 and 8, the Division of
Elections does send out additional mail to confirm
some of the mailing addresses. So, if they also get
return mail that is undeliverable, they will come off
the list from being automatically sent an absentee
ballot but not off of the voter register list.
SENATOR WILSON opined that people are creatures of habit and
noted his concern if a person does not receive a reminder.
MS. KLOSTER replied that she believed the Division of Elections
sends out mail and reminders ahead of time but will verify.
CHAIR MEYER asked if the state follows the Municipality of
Anchorage on mail-in ballots. He asked if regulatory
consideration has been given to mail-in ballots.
5:00:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK answered as follows:
We did introduce this bill before the Municipality of
Anchorage had done their vote by mail. This isn't a
vote by mail, this is just those that want to check-
off a box and continue to receive, that way people
could still go to the polls. We are not shutting down
polling locations or things like that, just allowing
the option.
CHAIR MEYER pointed out that a person must register to vote 30
days prior to an election to participate in the vote-by-mail
process.
SENATOR GIESSEL commented as follows:
Page 11, lines 7-8, it's intriguing in that when
Anchorage did the mail voting several addresses
received multiple ballots for people who no longer
lived there which calls into question of course the
security; that's an interesting sentence there,
"Return to the division as undeliverable." I guess I
was alarmed that the postal service delivered mail at
a location where the people didn't live anymore, and
it happened at multiple locations, an issue that is
not addressed in the bill and I guess you can't do
much about the U.S. Postal Service.
5:02:21 PM
CHAIR MEYER [held HB 1 in committee.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 190 Version J.PDF |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB190 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB190 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 Supporting Document Hawaii EPC Fact Sheet.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 Supporting Documents DOTPF Energy Efficiency Projects.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 ESPC PowerPoint.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 Supporting Documents State ESPC Policies.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 Supporting Documents School Energy Costs.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| HB 1 Version RA.PDF |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Memo of Changes.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Supporting Document-Voting Information and Statistics.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Support Letters.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Fiscal Note.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |
| HB 7 Version J.PDF |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Summary of Changes.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Sectional Analysis ver J.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Supporting Document-Article Columbia University.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Supporting Document-Article Denver Post.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Supporting Document-Article Washington Post.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Support Material Testimonies.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 7 Fiscal Note.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 7 |
| HB 235 Version J.PDF |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Summary of Changes.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Supporting Document - NCSL Awards for Law Enforcement or First Responders.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Officer Down Memorial Pages.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Letters of Support.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Fiscal Note.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| HB 235 Venn Diagram AK Medal for Heroism North Star Medal.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM SSTA 4/17/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 235 |
| SB 190 Fiscal Note.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| SB 190 Updated Fiscal Note.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SB 190 |
| HB 1 Sectional Analysis ver R.A.pdf |
SSTA 4/10/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HB 1 |