HB 495: "An Act amending the Election Code to provide that voters be permitted to register opposition to all candidates in certain election contests."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 495 01 "An Act amending the Election Code to provide that voters be permitted to 02 register opposition to all candidates in certain election contests." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 15.15.030(5) is amended to read: 05 (5) The state general election ballot shall be printed on white paper 06 with the names of the candidates and their party designations placed in separate 07 sections under the office designation to which they were nominated. The party 08 affiliation, if any, shall be designated after the name of the candidate. The lieutenant 09 governor and the governor shall be included under the same section. Provision shall 10 be made for voting for write-in and no-party candidates within each section. 11 Provision shall be made for the voter to register opposition to all candidates 12 within each section in accordance with AS 15.15.033. The squares appearing on the 13 ballots shall measure 1/4 inch on each side. 14 * Sec. 2. AS 15.15 is amended by adding a new section to read:
01 Sec. 15.15.033. BALLOTS FOR CERTAIN OFFICES MUST PERMIT 02 VOTER TO REGISTER OPPOSITION TO ALL CANDIDATES. (a) In each 03 primary, general, or special election held after December 31, 1996, each ballot upon 04 which appears the name of a candidate for public office must contain for each office 05 an additional line equivalent to the lines on which the candidates' names appear and 06 placed at the end of the group of lines containing the names of the candidates for that 07 office. Each additional line shall contain a square in which the voter may express the 08 voter's choice of that line in the same manner as the voter would express the choice 09 of a candidate. The line must read "None of these candidates." 10 (b) Each sample ballot or other instruction to voters prescribed or approved by 11 the director shall clearly explain that the voter may mark the choice of the line "None 12 of these candidates" only if the voter has not voted for any candidate for the office. 13 (c) This section does not apply to ballots prepared 14 (1) for the offices of President and Vice-President of the United States; 15 (2) to elect delegates to a constitutional convention; or 16 (3) for elections conducted under AS 14.08. 17 * Sec. 3. AS 15.15.360(a) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 18 (12) If, in a ballot section in which, under AS 15.15.033, a voter may 19 register opposition to all candidates a voter marks a name of a candidate and also 20 marks the line "None of these candidates," the vote in that ballot section may not be 21 counted. 22 * Sec. 4. AS 15.15.450 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 23 (b) In each office for which the provisions of AS 15.15.033 apply, only votes 24 cast for candidates shall be counted in determining nomination or election to any 25 office. 26 * Sec. 5. AS 15.15 is amended by adding a new section to read: 27 Sec. 15.15.455. PUBLICATION OR REPORTING OF CERTAIN RESULTS. 28 For each office for which the provisions of AS 15.15.033 apply, the number of ballots 29 on which the line "None of these candidates" was chosen shall be listed following the 30 names of the candidates and the number of their votes in every posting, abstract, and 31 publication or reporting of the results of the election.
01 * Sec. 6. AS 15.25.060 is amended to read: 02 Sec. 15.25.060. PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BALLOTS. The 03 primary election ballot shall be prepared and distributed by the director in the manner 04 prescribed for general election ballots except as specifically provided otherwise for the 05 primary election. The director shall print the ballot on white paper and place the 06 names of all candidates who have properly filed in groups according to offices filed 07 for, without regard to party affiliation. The order of the placement of the names for 08 each office shall be as provided for the general election ballot. Provision shall be 09 made for the voter to register opposition to all candidates within each section in 10 accordance with AS 15.15.033. Blank spaces may not be provided on the ballot for 11 the writing or pasting in of names.