SB 39-BALLOT CUSTODY/TAMPERING; VOTER REG; MAIL                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:19:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER  announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL  NO. 39                                                               
"An Act  relating to elections;  relating to  voter registration;                                                               
relating to ballots  and a system of tracking  and accounting for                                                               
ballots;  establishing an  election offense  hotline; designating                                                               
as a  class A  misdemeanor the collection  of ballots  from other                                                               
voters; designating as  a class C felony  the intentional opening                                                               
or tampering  with a  sealed ballot,  certificate, or  package of                                                               
ballots without  authorization from the director  of the division                                                               
of elections; and providing for an effective date."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:20:20 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR REINBOLD moved to report  CSSB 39, work order 32-LS0204\O                                                               
as amended,  from committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:20:39 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KAWASAKI objected. He stated  he did not support the bill                                                               
despite the  changes in the  last committee substitute.  The bill                                                               
still encourages  the Division  of Elections  to use  block chain                                                               
voting,  which  has  not  been   thoroughly  vetted  and  is  not                                                               
foolproof. He pointed out that  the existing election system does                                                               
work,  although it  needs refinements.  He acknowledged  that the                                                               
system  was  vulnerable  to  hacking but  pointed  out  that  the                                                               
Russian block chain e-voting system  was also hacked in June 2020                                                               
so it is  not foolproof. He said it is  not appropriate to change                                                               
systems  right  now, particularly  without  DOE  speaking to  the                                                               
issues it can fix without the new system.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KAWASAKI acknowledged  that there were good  ideas in the                                                               
bill and  said he appreciated  the sponsor and his  staff helping                                                               
with a couple  of his amendments like  long-term absentee voting.                                                               
He  expressed hope  that the  next committees  of referral  would                                                               
refine some  of the  language in  the bill  and restated  that he                                                               
opposed moving the bill.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:23:07 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER  said he appreciated  the comments but he  wanted to                                                               
clarify that the  bill does not specifically call for  the use of                                                               
block chain. He advised that  his office was working closely with                                                               
Representative  Tuck on  his version  of the  bill and  predicted                                                               
that the final version would be a blend of the two.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:23:54 PM                                                                                                                    
A  roll  call  vote  was   taken.  Senators  Reinbold,  Costello,                                                               
Holland, and  Chair Shower voted in  favor of the motion  to move                                                               
SB  39 from  committee  and Senator  Kawasaki  voted against  it.                                                               
Therefore,  the motion  passed by  a  4:1 vote  and CSSB  39(STA)                                                               
moved from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  COSTELLO highlighted  that the  CS for  SB 39  was quite                                                               
different from the initial bill.  She offered her belief that the                                                               
current   version  would   modernize  the   voting  system   with                                                               
provisions for chain of custody  for a ballot, ballot curing, and                                                               
updated voter rolls.