SB 39: "An Act relating to ballot titles and propositions; and providing for an effective date."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 39 01 "An Act relating to ballot titles and propositions; and providing for an effective date." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 15.45.180(a) is amended to read: 04 (a) If the petition is properly filed, the lieutenant governor shall appoint a 05 ballot proposition committee to, with the assistance of the attorney general, 06 [SHALL] prepare a ballot title and proposition. The ballot title shall, in not more than 07 six words, indicate the general subject of the proposition. The proposition shall, in not 08 more than 100 words, give a true and impartial summary of the proposed law. 09 * Sec. 2. AS 15.45.180 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 10 (c) The lieutenant governor shall appoint five individuals to the ballot 11 proposition committee, including 12 (1) two proponents of the initiative, at least one of whom must be a 13 member of the initiative committee; 14 (2) two opponents of the initiative; and 15 (3) one individual from a list of three submitted by the chief justice of
01 the Alaska Supreme Court. 02 (d) The committee shall submit the ballot title and proposition to the lieutenant 03 governor not later than 80 days before the date of the election at which the question is 04 to be presented to the voters. 05 (e) The lieutenant governor shall review the ballot title and proposition 06 prepared under (a) of this section and make any changes necessary to make the 07 proposition true and impartial. The lieutenant governor shall complete the review and 08 provide the ballot title and proposition to the director not later than 70 days before the 09 date of the election at which the question is to be presented to the voters. If the 10 lieutenant governor makes any changes to the ballot title or proposition prepared under 11 (a) of this section, the lieutenant governor shall also provide the director with a written 12 explanation of those changes. 13 * Sec. 3. AS 15.45.410(a) is amended to read: 14 (a) If the petition is properly filed, the lieutenant governor shall appoint a 15 ballot proposition committee to, with the assistance of the attorney general, 16 prepare a ballot title and proposition. [THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, WITH 17 THE ASSISTANCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, SHALL PREPARE A 18 BALLOT TITLE AND PROPOSITION UPON DETERMINING THAT THE 19 PETITION IS PROPERLY FILED.] The ballot title shall, in not more than six words, 20 indicate the general subject area of the act. The proposition shall, in not more than 21 100 words, give a true and impartial summary of the act being referred. 22 * Sec. 4. AS 15.45.410 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 23 (c) The lieutenant governor shall appoint five individuals to the ballot 24 proposition committee, including 25 (1) two proponents of the referendum, at least one of whom must be a 26 member of the referendum committee; 27 (2) two opponents of the referendum; and 28 (3) one individual from a list of three submitted by the chief justice of 29 the Alaska Supreme Court. 30 (d) The committee shall submit the ballot title and proposition to the lieutenant 31 governor not later than 80 days before the date of the election at which the question is
01 to be presented to the voters. 02 (e) The lieutenant governor shall review the ballot title and proposition 03 prepared under (a) of this section and make any changes necessary to make the 04 proposition true and impartial. The lieutenant governor shall complete the review and 05 provide the ballot title and proposition to the director not later than 70 days before the 06 date of the election at which the question is to be presented to the voters. If the 07 lieutenant governor makes any changes to the ballot title or proposition prepared under 08 (a) of this section, the lieutenant governor shall also provide the director with a written 09 explanation of those changes. 10 * Sec. 5. AS 15.50.010(a) is amended to read: 11 (a) The lieutenant governor shall appoint a ballot proposition committee to, 12 with the assistance of the attorney general, prepare a proposed ballot title and 13 proposition for each amendment to the state constitution proposed by the legislature or 14 by a constitutional convention. Each amendment shall be confined to one subject. 15 Within 30 days after [OF] the date of adjournment of a legislative session or of the 16 date of adjournment of a constitutional convention, the lieutenant governor shall 17 provide one copy of the proposed ballot title and proposition for each amendment to 18 each member of the legislature and shall make copies available to the public. 19 * Sec. 6. AS 15.50.010 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 20 (c) The lieutenant governor shall appoint five individuals to the ballot 21 proposition committee, including 22 (1) two proponents of the amendment; 23 (2) two opponents of the amendment; and 24 (3) one individual from a list of three submitted by the chief justice of 25 the Alaska Supreme Court. 26 (d) The committee shall submit the ballot title and proposition to the lieutenant 27 governor not later than 80 days before the date of the election at which the question is 28 to be presented to the voters. 29 (e) The lieutenant governor shall review the ballot title and proposition 30 prepared under (a) of this section and make any changes necessary to make the 31 proposition true and impartial. The lieutenant governor shall complete the review and
01 provide the ballot title and proposition to the director not later than 70 days before the 02 date of the election at which the question is to be presented to the voters. If the 03 lieutenant governor makes any changes to the ballot title or proposition prepared under 04 (a) of this section, the lieutenant governor shall also provide the director with a written 05 explanation of those changes. 06 * Sec. 7. AS 15.58.020 is amended to read: 07 Sec. 15.58.020. Contents of pamphlet. Each election pamphlet must contain 08 (1) photographs and campaign statements submitted by eligible 09 candidates for elective office in the region; 10 (2) information and recommendations filed under AS 15.58.050 on 11 judicial officers subject to a retention election in the region; 12 (3) a map of the house district or districts of the region; 13 (4) sample ballots for house districts of the region; 14 (5) an absentee ballot application; 15 (6) for each ballot proposition submitted to the voters by initiative or 16 referendum petition or by the legislature, 17 (A) the full text of the proposition specifying constitutional or 18 statutory provisions proposed to be affected; 19 (B) the ballot title and the summary of the proposition prepared 20 under AS 15.45.180, 15.45.410, or AS 15.50.010 as well as any explanation 21 of changes to the summary supplied to [BY] the director [OR] by the 22 lieutenant governor; 23 (C) a neutral summary of the proposition prepared by the 24 Legislative Affairs Agency; 25 (D) statements submitted that advocate voter approval or 26 rejection of the proposition not to exceed 500 words; 27 (7) for each bond question, a statement of the scope of each project as 28 it appears in the bond authorization; 29 (8) a maximum of two pages of material submitted by each political 30 party; 31 (9) additional information on voting procedures that the lieutenant
01 governor considers necessary; 02 (10) for the question whether a constitutional convention shall be 03 called, 04 (A) a full statement of the question placed on the ballot; 05 (B) statements not to exceed 500 words that advocate voter 06 approval or rejection of the question; 07 (11) under AS 37.13.170, the Alaska permanent fund annual income 08 statement and balance sheet for the two fiscal years preceding the publication of the 09 election pamphlet. 10 * Sec. 8. This Act takes effect July 1, 2005.