04/01/2013 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

         HB 3 - PHOTO IDENTIFICATION VOTING REQUIREMENT                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:21:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced  that the final order of  business would be                                                              
HOUSE  BILL NO. 3,  "An Act  relating to  voter identification  at                                                              
the  polls;  and   relating  to  the  counting   of  absentee  and                                                              
questioned ballots."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:21:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN,   as  one  of  the  joint   prime  sponsors,                                                              
explained that under  HB 3's proposed changes,  Alaskans voting in                                                              
person  would be  required  to present  one  form of  photographic                                                              
("photo") identification  (ID), or two  forms of non-photo  ID, in                                                              
order to  vote.  The  bill also provides  an exemption  for voters                                                              
who  can instead  have  their identity  verified  by two  election                                                              
officials  who know them,  and, if  unable to  comply with  HB 3's                                                              
identification  requirements,  or  qualify  for the  exemption  it                                                              
provides,  voters  may  instead  cast  provisional  or  questioned                                                              
ballots.    The goal  of  the bill,  which  he  referred  to as  a                                                              
proactive measure,  is to protect  Alaska's voting  system against                                                              
potential  voter-fraud  by ensuring  that  voters  really are  who                                                              
they say  they are.   Close  elections are  common in  Alaska, and                                                              
thus  even  one  case  of  voter  fraud  is  one  case  too  many,                                                              
particularly given  that an election  in Alaska can be  decided by                                                              
as  few as  one vote.   Calling  photo ID  ubiquitous, and  noting                                                              
that it's  now required for many  purposes, he offered  his belief                                                              
that  nothing  in   the  bill  would  prevent  a   person  who  is                                                              
registered  to vote  and who is  motivated to  vote, from  voting.                                                              
In conclusion, he asked the committee for its support of HB 3.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
[HB 3 was held over.]