00 HOUSE BILL NO. 1 01 "An Act relating to absentee voting, voting, and voter registration; relating to early 02 voting locations at which persons may vote absentee ballots; and providing for an 03 effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05  * Section 1. AS 15.05.010 is amended to read: 06 Sec. 15.05.010. Voter qualification. A person may vote at any election who 07 (1) is a citizen of the United States; 08 (2) is 18 years of age or older; 09 (3) has been a resident of the state and of the house district in which 10 the person seeks to vote for at least 30 days just before the election; and 11 (4) has registered [BEFORE THE ELECTION] as required under 12 AS 15.07 and is not registered to vote in another jurisdiction. 13  * Sec. 2. AS 15.07.060(a) is amended to read: 14 (a) Each applicant who requests registration or reregistration shall supply the 01 following information: 02 (1) the applicant's name and sex; 03 (2) if issued, the applicant's State of Alaska driver's license number or 04 State of Alaska identification card number, or the last four digits of the applicant's 05 social security number; 06 (3) the applicant's date of birth; 07 (4) the applicant's Alaska residence address; 08 (5) a statement of whether the applicant has previously been registered 09 to vote in another jurisdiction, and, if so, the jurisdiction and the address of the 10 previous registration; 11 (6) a declaration that the applicant will be 18 years of age or older 12 within 90 days after the date of registration; 13 (7) a declaration that the applicant is a citizen of the United States; 14 (8) the date of application; 15 (9) the applicant's signature, electronic signature, or mark; 16 (10) any former name under which the applicant was registered to vote 17 in the state; 18 (11) an attestation that the information provided by the applicant in (1) 19 - (10) of this subsection is true; and 20 (12) a certification that the applicant understands that a false statement 21 on the application may make the applicant subject to prosecution for a misdemeanor 22 under this title or AS 11. 23  * Sec. 3. AS 15.07.070(d) is amended to read: 24 (d) Qualified voters may register in person before a registration official or 25 through a voter registration agency at any time throughout the year. A qualified voter  26 who registers [, EXCEPT THAT A PERSON REGISTERING] within 30 days 27 preceding an election or on the day of an election shall vote a questioned ballot [IS 28 NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE] at that election. Upon receipt and approval of the 29 registration forms, the director or the election supervisor shall forward to the voter an 30 acknowledgment in the form of a registration card, and the voter's name shall 31 immediately be placed on the master register. Names of persons registering 30 or more 01 days before an election shall be placed on the official registration list for that election. 02  * Sec. 4. AS 15.07.130(e) is amended to read: 03 (e) For purposes of (b) and (d) of this section, a voter "appears to vote" if 04 (1) the voter is present at a polling place or at an early [ABSENTEE] 05 voting station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) at a time when the polling place or 06 early [ABSENTEE] voting station is operating, for the purpose of casting a vote; 07 (2) the voter applies to the division to obtain an absentee ballot; or 08 (3) in an election conducted by mail under AS 15.20.800, a voter who 09 has not received a ballot by mail makes a timely request to the division for a ballot. 10  * Sec. 5. AS 15.20.045 is amended to read: 11 Sec. 15.20.045. Designation of absentee voting officials and early voting  12 stations for voting absentee ballots. (a) The director or election supervisor may 13 designate persons to act as absentee voting officials under AS 15.20.010 - 15.20.220 in 14 areas where election supervisors do not have offices. Magistrates may, with the 15 approval of the administrative director of the Alaska Court System, be designated 16 under this section. At least 15 days before the election the director shall supply each 17 absentee voting official with appropriate ballots. 18 (b) The director may designate by regulation adopted under AS 44.62 19 (Administrative Procedure Act) locations at which early [ABSENTEE] voting stations 20 will be operated for persons who vote absentee ballots on or after the 15th day 21 before an election up to and including the date of the election. The director shall 22 supply these [ABSENTEE] voting stations with absentee ballots for all house districts 23 in the state and shall designate absentee voting officials to serve at the [ABSENTEE] 24 voting stations. A designation as an early voting station under this subsection  25 remains in effect unless  26 (1) the location is no longer available for use as an early voting  27 station; or 28 (2) the director determines that the location is no longer  29 appropriate for use as an early voting station and makes that determination  30 available to the public in writing. 31 (c) In a municipality in which the division will not be operating an early 01 [ABSENTEE] voting station under this section, the director may designate the 02 municipal clerk as an absentee voting official for the limited purpose of distributing 03 absentee ballots to qualified voters under AS 15.20.061(a)(1) and qualified voters' 04 representatives under AS 15.20.072. At least 15 days before the election, the director 05 shall supply municipal clerks designated under this subsection with absentee ballots. 06  * Sec. 6. AS 15.20.050 is amended to read: 07 Sec. 15.20.050. Requirement of full public notice. The director shall give 08 full public notice of the dates and manner of voting absentee and may select any 09 means of communication permitted to be used in giving notice of the date and time of 10 the general election. The director shall give notice under this section of the location of 11 early [ABSENTEE] voting stations designated under AS 15.20.045(b) at least 45 12 days before each election.  13  * Sec. 7. AS 15.20.061(a) is amended to read: 14 (a) A qualified voter may apply in person for an absentee ballot to the 15 following election officials at the times specified: 16 (1) to an absentee voting official on or after the 15th day before an 17 election up to and including the date of the election; 18 (2) to an election supervisor on or after the 15th day before an election 19 up to and including the date of the election; 20 (3) to an absentee voting official at an early [ABSENTEE] voting 21 station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) on or after the 15th day before an election 22 up to and including the date of the election; 23 (4) to an absentee voting official in the precinct in which no volunteers 24 can be located to serve on the election board on or after the 15th day before an election 25 up to and including election day. 26  * Sec. 8. AS 15.20.072(b) is amended to read: 27 (b) The voter may, through a representative, request a special needs ballot 28 from the following election officials at the times specified: 29 (1) from an absentee voting official on or after the 15th day before an 30 election, up to and including election day; 31 (2) from an election supervisor on or after the 15th day before an 01 election up to and including election day; 02 (3) from an absentee voting official at an early [ABSENTEE] voting 03 station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) on or after the 15th day before an election 04 up to and including the date of the election; or 05 (4) from a member of the precinct election board on election day. 06  * Sec. 9. AS 15.20.081 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 07 (m) An absentee ballot application must include an option for a qualified voter 08 to choose to receive absentee ballots by mail for future regularly scheduled state 09 elections. The division may not require a voter who chooses this option to reapply for 10 an absentee ballot by mail unless 11 (1) the voter has not voted an absentee ballot for a period of four years; 12 or 13 (2) the voter's previous absentee ballot sent under this section was 14 returned to the division as undeliverable. 15  * Sec. 10. AS 15.80.010 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 16 (46) "electronic signature" has the meaning given in AS 09.80.190. 17  * Sec. 11. AS 29.20.380(c) is amended to read: 18 (c) The municipal clerk may act as an absentee voting official under 19 AS 15.20.045(c) for the limited purpose of distributing absentee ballots to qualified 20 voters or qualified voters' representatives under AS 15.20.072 in a municipality in 21 which the division of elections will not be operating an early [ABSENTEE] voting 22 station under AS 15.20.045(b). 23  * Sec. 12. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 24 read: 25 TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS: REGULATIONS. The director of elections may 26 adopt or amend regulations as necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. The 27 regulations take effect under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but not before the 28 effective date of the law implemented by the regulations. 29  * Sec. 13. This Act takes effect January 1, 2018.