Enrolled SB 172: Relating to election pamphlets and to the presentation of initiatives and referenda on the ballot; relating to review of applications for certification of initiatives; relating to the circulation and subscription of recall petitions; and providing for an effective date.
00Enrolled SB 172 01 Relating to election pamphlets and to the presentation of initiatives and referenda on the 02 ballot; relating to review of applications for certification of initiatives; relating to the 03 circulation and subscription of recall petitions; and providing for an effective date. 04 _______________ 05 * Section 1. AS 15.15.040(b) is amended to read: 06 (b) The director shall prepare and issue or make available with each sample 07 ballot for a special election the statement provided for in AS 24.08.037 of the scope of 08 each project included in a proposed general obligation bond issue creating a state debt 09 for capital improvements that is submitted to the electorate for ratification under 10 AS 15.15.030(11). The statement of scope for each project shall be the same statement 11 included in the authorization bill. When a ballot proposition is submitted to the voters 12 at a primary or a special election, a statement the same as that provided for in the 13 election pamphlet under AS 15.58.020(a)(6) [AS 15.58.020(6)] shall be made
01 available with each sample ballot. 02 * Sec. 2. AS 15.45.070 is amended to read: 03 Sec. 15.45.070. Review of application for certification. Within 60 calendar 04 days after the date the application is received, the [THE] lieutenant governor shall 05 review the application and shall either certify it or notify the initiative committee of 06 the grounds for denial. 07 * Sec. 3. AS 15.45.180(a) is amended to read: 08 (a) If the petition is properly filed, the lieutenant governor, with the assistance 09 of the attorney general, shall prepare a ballot title and proposition. The ballot title 10 shall, in not more than 25 [SIX] words, indicate the general subject of the proposition. 11 The proposition shall [, IN NOT MORE THAN 100 WORDS,] give a true and 12 impartial summary of the proposed law. The total number of words used in the 13 summary may not exceed the product of the number of sections in the proposed 14 law multiplied by 50. In this subsection, "section" means a provision of the 15 proposed law that is distinct from other provisions in purpose or subject matter. 16 * Sec. 4. AS 15.45.410(a) is amended to read: 17 (a) The lieutenant governor, with the assistance of the attorney general, shall 18 prepare a ballot title and proposition upon determining that the petition is properly 19 filed. The ballot title shall, in not more than 25 [SIX] words, indicate the general 20 subject area of the act. The proposition shall, in not more than 50 [100] words for 21 each section, give a true and impartial summary of the act being referred. In this 22 subsection, "section" means each section of the Alaska Statutes created, 23 amended, or repealed in the Act, and each section of the Act that does not create 24 or amend codified law. 25 * Sec. 5. AS 15.45.580(a) is amended to read: 26 (a) The petitions may be circulated only in person throughout the state [OR 27 SENATE OR HOUSE DISTRICT REPRESENTED BY THE OFFICIAL SOUGHT 28 TO BE RECALLED]. 29 * Sec. 6. AS 15.45.590 is amended to read: 30 Sec. 15.45.590. Manner of signing and withdrawing name from petition. 31 Any qualified voter registered to vote in the district represented by the official
01 sought to be recalled may subscribe to the petition by printing the voter's name, a 02 numerical identifier, and an address, by signing the voter's name, and by dating the 03 signature. A person who has signed the petition may withdraw the person's name only 04 by giving written notice to the director before the date the petition is filed. 05 * Sec. 7. AS 15.58.010 is amended to read: 06 Sec. 15.58.010. Election pamphlet. Before each state general election, and 07 before each state primary election at which a ballot proposition is scheduled to 08 appear on the ballot, the lieutenant governor shall prepare, publish, and mail at least 09 one election pamphlet to each household identified from the official registration list. 10 The pamphlet shall be prepared on a regional basis as determined by the lieutenant 11 governor. 12 * Sec. 8. AS 15.58.020 is amended to read: 13 Sec. 15.58.020. Contents of pamphlet. Each general election pamphlet must 14 contain 15 (1) photographs and campaign statements submitted by eligible 16 candidates for elective office in the region; 17 (2) information and recommendations filed under AS 15.58.050 on 18 judicial officers subject to a retention election in the region; 19 (3) a map of the house district or districts of the region; 20 (4) sample ballots for house districts of the region; 21 (5) an absentee ballot application; 22 (6) for each ballot proposition submitted to the voters by initiative or 23 referendum petition or by the legislature, 24 (A) the full text of the proposition specifying constitutional or 25 statutory provisions proposed to be affected; 26 (B) the ballot title and the summary of the proposition prepared 27 by the director or by the lieutenant governor; 28 (C) a statement of the costs to the state of implementing the law 29 proposed in an initiative, or of voter approval or rejection of the act that is the 30 subject of a referendum; 31 (D) a neutral summary of the proposition prepared by the
01 Legislative Affairs Agency; 02 (E) statements submitted that advocate voter approval or 03 rejection of the proposition not to exceed 500 words; 04 (7) for each bond question, a statement of the scope of each project as 05 it appears in the bond authorization; 06 (8) a maximum of two pages of material submitted by each political 07 party; 08 (9) additional information on voting procedures that the lieutenant 09 governor considers necessary; 10 (10) for the question whether a constitutional convention shall be 11 called, 12 (A) a full statement of the question placed on the ballot; 13 (B) statements not to exceed 500 words that advocate voter 14 approval or rejection of the question; 15 (11) under AS 37.13.170, the Alaska permanent fund annual income 16 statement and balance sheet for the two fiscal years preceding the publication of the 17 election pamphlet; 18 (12) under AS 15.10.090, notice of 19 (A) the establishment or abolition of a precinct; 20 (B) the designation, abolition, or modification of precinct 21 boundaries; and 22 (C) a change in the location of a polling place. 23 * Sec. 9. AS 15.58.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 24 (b) Each primary election pamphlet shall contain only the information 25 specified in (a)(6) and (a)(9) of this section for each ballot measure scheduled to 26 appear on the primary election ballot. 27 * Sec. 10. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).