00 HOUSE BILL NO. 414 01 "An Act relating to filling the vacancy in the office of United States senator, and to the 02 definition of 'political party.'" 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04  * Section 1. AS 15.40.140 is amended to read: 05 Sec. 15.40.140. Condition and time of calling special election. When a 06 vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator or United States representative, 07 the governor shall, by proclamation, call a special election to be held on a date not less 08 than 60, nor more than 90, days after the date the vacancy occurs. However, if the 09 vacancy occurs on a date that is less than 60 days before or is on or after the date of 10 the primary election in the general election year during which a candidate to fill the  11 office is regularly elected [YEARS], the governor may not call a special election. 12  * Sec. 2. AS 15.40 is amended by adding a new section to read: 13 Sec. 15.40.165. Term of elected senator. At the special election, a United 14 States senator shall be elected to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. The person 01 elected shall take office on the date the United States Senate meets, convenes, or 02 reconvenes following the certification of the results of the special election by the 03 director. 04  * Sec. 3. AS 15.40.200 is amended to read: 05 Sec. 15.40.200. Requirements of party petition. Petitions for the 06 nomination of candidates of political parties shall state in substance that the party 07 desires and intends to support the named candidate for the office of United States  08 senator or United States representative, as appropriate, at the special election and 09 requests that the name of the candidate nominated be placed on the ballot. 10  * Sec. 4. AS 15.40.220 is amended to read: 11 Sec. 15.40.220. General provisions for conduct of special election. Unless 12 specifically provided otherwise, all provisions regarding the conduct of the general 13 election shall govern the conduct of the special election of the United States senator  14 or United States representative, including [, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,] provisions 15 concerning voter qualifications; provisions regarding the duties, powers, rights,  16 and obligations of the director, of other election officials, and of municipalities;  17 provision for notification of the election; provision for payment of election  18 expenses; provisions regarding employees being allowed time from work to vote;  19 provisions for the counting, reviewing, and certification of returns; provisions for  20 the determination of the votes and of recounts, contests, and appeal; and  21 provision for absentee voting [SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO IN AS 15.40.130]. 22  * Sec. 5. AS 15.40.310 is amended to read: 23 Sec. 15.40.310. General provisions for conduct of special election. Unless 24 specifically provided otherwise, all provisions regarding the conduct of the general 25 election shall govern the conduct of the special election of the governor and lieutenant 26 governor, including [, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,] provisions concerning voter  27 qualifications; provisions regarding the duties, powers, rights, and obligations of  28 the director, of other election officials, and of municipalities; provision for  29 notification of the election; provision for payment of election expenses; provisions  30 regarding employees being allowed time from work to vote; provisions for the  31 counting, reviewing, and certification of returns; provisions for the  01 determination of the votes and of recounts, contests, and appeal; and provision  02 for absentee voting [SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO IN AS 15.40.130]. 03  * Sec. 6. AS 15.40.470 is amended to read: 04 Sec. 15.40.470. General provision for conduct of special election. Unless 05 specifically provided otherwise, all provisions regarding the conduct of the general 06 election shall govern the conduct of the special election of state senators, including [, 07 BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE] provisions concerning voter qualifications;  08 provisions regarding the duties, powers, rights, and obligations of the director, of  09 other election officials, and of municipalities; provision for notification of the  10 election; provision for payment of election expenses; provisions regarding  11 employees being allowed time from work to vote; provisions for the counting,  12 reviewing, and certification of returns; provisions for the determination of the  13 votes and of recounts, contests, and appeal; and provision for absentee voting 14 [SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO IN AS 15.40.130]. 15  * Sec. 7. AS 15.60.010(21) is amended to read: 16 (21) "political party" means an organized group of voters that 17 represents a political program and 18 (A) that [EITHER] nominated a candidate for governor who 19 received at least three percent of the total votes cast for governor at the 20 preceding general election or has registered voters in the state equal in number 21 to at least three percent of the total votes cast for governor at the preceding 22 general election; 23 (B) if the office of governor was not on the ballot at the  24 preceding general election but the office of United States senator was on  25 that ballot, that nominated a candidate for United States senator who  26 received at least three percent of the total votes cast for United States  27 senator at that general election or has registered voters in the state equal  28 in number to at least three percent of the total votes cast for United States  29 senator at that general election; or  30 (C) if neither the office of governor nor the office of United  31 States senator was on the ballot at the preceding general election, that  01 nominated a candidate for United States representative who received at  02 least three percent of the total votes cast for United States representative  03 at that general election or has registered voters in the state equal in  04 number to at least three percent of the total votes cast for United States  05 representative at that general election; 06  * Sec. 8. AS 15.40.010, 15.40.050, 15.40.060, 15.40.070, 15.40.075, 15.40.130, and 07 15.40.135 are repealed.