CSSB 39(JUD): "An Act relating to elections; relating to voters; relating to the crimes of unlawful interference with voting, unlawful interference with an election, election fraud, and election official misconduct; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 39(JUD) 01 "An Act relating to elections; relating to voters; relating to the crimes of unlawful 02 interference with voting, unlawful interference with an election, election fraud, and 03 election official misconduct; and providing for an 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 or mark, or an electronic image of the 16 applicant's signature submitted in the format and according to the process 17 specified by the division in regulation; 18 (10) any former name under which the applicant was registered to vote 19 in the state; 20 (11) an attestation that the information provided by the applicant in (1) 21 - (10) of this subsection is true; [AND] 22 (12) a certification that the applicant understands that a false statement 23 on the application may make the applicant subject to prosecution [FOR A 24 MISDEMEANOR] under this title or for perjury under AS 11; 25 (13) if applying within 30 days before an election, 26 (A) an affidavit, signed under penalty of perjury and 27 witnessed by an election official, stating whether the applicant established 28 residency at least 30 days before the date of the election in 29 (i) the state; and 30 (ii) the house district in which the applicant seeks to 31 vote at the election; and
01 (B) a physical or electronic copy of 02 (i) identification issued by the federal government, 03 the state, a municipality, a tribal government, or a secondary or 04 postsecondary school that displays the applicant's Alaska residence 05 address; 06 (ii) a utility bill, bank statement, government check, 07 paycheck, or other government document that is dated not more 08 than 60 days before the registration or reregistration and displays 09 the applicant's name and Alaska residence address; and 10 (14) an acknowledgment of understanding by the applicant that, if 11 the applicant has previously been registered to vote in another jurisdiction, the 12 director will notify the chief elections officer of that jurisdiction that the 13 applicant has registered to vote in this state and request the applicant's voter 14 registration be canceled in that jurisdiction. 15 * Sec. 3. AS 15.07.060 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 16 (g) The division shall provide an applicant the opportunity to designate, from 17 among the written languages in which the division is required to print election 18 materials under 52 U.S.C. 10503, as amended, the language in which the applicant 19 prefers to receive ballots and other election materials printed for an election. If an 20 applicant designates a written language, the division shall provide the applicant with 21 ballots and election materials in the applicant's designated language. If an applicant 22 designates a written language in which the division is not required under 52 U.S.C. 23 10503, as amended, to print ballots and election materials, the division shall notify the 24 applicant that ballots and election materials printed in that language are not available 25 and allow the applicant another opportunity to designate a language under this 26 subsection. The division shall provide an applicant who designates a language under 27 this subsection with ballots and election materials in that language until the earlier of 28 the date that 29 (1) the applicant's voter registration is inactivated or cancelled; or 30 (2) the division is no longer required under 52 U.S.C. 10503, as 31 amended, to print ballots and election materials in the requested language.
01 * Sec. 4. AS 15.07.070(d) is amended to read: 02 (d) Qualified voters may register in person before a registration official or 03 through a voter registration agency at any time throughout the year. A qualified voter 04 who registers [, EXCEPT THAT A PERSON REGISTERING] within 30 days 05 preceding an election or on the day of an election may vote only an absentee in- 06 person, special needs, or questioned ballot [IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE] at that 07 election. Upon receipt and approval of the registration forms, the director or the 08 election supervisor shall forward to the voter an acknowledgment in the form of a 09 registration card, and the voter's name shall immediately be placed on the master 10 register. Names of persons registering 30 or more days before an election shall be 11 placed on the official registration list for that election. 12 * Sec. 5. AS 15.07.070(h) is amended to read: 13 (h) The director shall design the form of the voter's certificate appearing on 14 the envelope that is used for voting an absentee in-person, special needs, or 15 questioned ballot so that all information required for registration by AS 15.07.060(a) 16 may be obtained from a voter who votes an absentee in-person, special needs, or 17 questioned ballot. If the voter voting an absentee in-person, special needs, or 18 questioned ballot has completed all information on the voter registration portion of the 19 absentee in-person, special needs, or questioned ballot voter's certificate, the director 20 shall place the name of the voter on the official registration list. 21 * Sec. 6. AS 15.07.090(b) is amended to read: 22 (b) A voter shall reregister if the voter's registration is cancelled as provided in 23 AS 15.07.130. A person who has reregistered under this subsection may vote only 24 an absentee in-person, special needs, or questioned ballot until [THE 25 REREGISTRATION IS EFFECTIVE FOR] the next election that occurs at least 30 26 days after the date of reregistration. 27 * Sec. 7. AS 15.07.090(c) is amended to read: 28 (c) The director shall transfer the registration of a voter from one precinct to 29 another within a house district when requested by the voter. If a [THE] request is 30 [SHALL BE] made within 30 [OR MORE] days before [THE] election day, a person 31 who has moved to a new precinct may vote only an absentee in-person, special
01 needs, or questioned ballot. The director shall transfer the registration of a voter from 02 one house district to another when requested by the voter. The voter must reside in the 03 new house district for at least 30 days in order to vote a ballot for that district. 04 * Sec. 8. AS 15.07.090(d) is amended to read: 05 (d) A person who claims to be a registered voter, but for whom no evidence of 06 registration in the precinct can be found, may vote only an absentee in-person, 07 special needs, or questioned ballot [SHALL BE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO 08 VOTE IN THE SAME MANNER AS THAT OF A QUESTIONED VOTER AND 09 THE BALLOT SHALL BE TREATED IN THE SAME MANNER. THE BALLOT 10 SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO BE A "QUESTIONED BALLOT" AND SHALL BE 11 SO DESIGNATED. THE DIRECTOR OR THE DIRECTOR'S REPRESENTATIVE 12 SHALL DETERMINE WHETHER THE VOTER IS REGISTERED IN THE HOUSE 13 DISTRICT BEFORE COUNTING THE BALLOT. A VOTER WHO HAS FAILED 14 TO OBTAIN A TRANSFER AS PROVIDED IN (c) OF THIS SECTION SHALL 15 VOTE A "QUESTIONED BALLOT" IN THE PRECINCT IN WHICH THE VOTER 16 RESIDES]. 17 * Sec. 9. AS 15.07 is amended by adding a new section to read: 18 Sec. 15.07.128. Voter fraud mitigation policy. It is the policy of the state to 19 reduce voting fraud by using reasonable and affordable tools and technology to 20 mitigate the potential for voting fraud, including for the reviews of voter registration 21 applications and the master register for the names of the deceased, felons ineligible to 22 vote, non-citizens, and individuals voting unlawfully. 23 * Sec. 10. AS 15.07.130(a) is amended to read: 24 (a) Periodically, at times of the director's choosing, but not [NO] less 25 frequently than in January of each calendar year, the director shall examine the master 26 register maintained under AS 15.07.120 and shall send, by nonforwardable mail to the 27 voter's registration mailing address, a notice requesting address confirmation or 28 correction to each voter 29 (1) whose mail from the division has been returned to the division in 30 the two years immediately preceding the examination of the register; 31 (2) who has not contacted the division in the two years immediately
01 preceding the examination of the register; [OR] 02 (3) who has not voted or appeared to vote in the two general elections 03 immediately preceding the examination of the register; or 04 (4) who does not live in the state. 05 * Sec. 11. AS 15.07.130(e) is amended to read: 06 (e) For purposes of (b) and (d) of this section, a voter "appears to vote" if 07 (1) the voter is present at a polling place or at an early [ABSENTEE] 08 voting station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) at a time when the polling place or 09 early [ABSENTEE] voting station is operating, for the purpose of casting a vote; 10 (2) the voter applies to the division to obtain an absentee ballot; or 11 (3) in an election conducted by mail under AS 15.20.800, a voter who 12 has not received a ballot by mail makes a timely request to the division for a ballot. 13 * Sec. 12. AS 15.07.130 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 14 (g) The division shall adopt regulations providing for regular review and 15 updates of the master register. The regulations must provide for review of the register 16 for data breaches, the number of registered voters compared to eligible voters, and the 17 names of deceased voters, persons convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude, 18 persons not qualified to vote under AS 15.05, and persons registered to vote in another 19 state. The regulations must specify records and databases for use in reviewing the 20 master register; the records and databases may include the United States Postal 21 Service national change of address database, an electronic registration information 22 center dedicated to improving the integrity of voter rolls and maintained by a nonprofit 23 membership organization of which the state is a member, state motor vehicle records, 24 records of the state programs of corrections, property and sales tax records, records of 25 the federal social security system, municipal assessor databases, the United States 26 Social Security Administration death index, an alien database maintained by the 27 United States Department of Homeland Security, and jury duty records. 28 (h) The director shall adopt a best practice voter registration system to 29 improve identity matching when comparing voter registration lists with the records 30 and databases used to review the master register. The director shall develop a written 31 maintenance schedule and guideline manual for the system and provide a report on the
01 system to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or 02 before the first day of the first regular session of each legislature and shall notify the 03 legislature that the report is available. 04 (i) The director shall, in a notice sent under (a) of this section, inform a voter 05 of the criteria to qualify as a voter and the penalties for voter fraud and voter 06 misconduct. 07 * Sec. 13. AS 15.07 is amended by adding a new section to read: 08 Sec. 15.07.133. Process to cancel registration. The director shall develop a 09 process to allow a voter to cancel the voter's registration in person before an election 10 official or electronically. The director shall prominently display instructions for a 11 voter to cancel the voter's registration at each polling place. 12 * Sec. 14. AS 15.10.170(a) is amended to read: 13 (a) The precinct party committee, where an organized precinct committee 14 exists, or the party district committee where no organized precinct committee exists, 15 or the state party chairperson where neither a precinct nor a party district committee 16 exists, may appoint one or more [PERSONS AS] watchers in each precinct and 17 counting center for any election. A [EACH] candidate may appoint one or more 18 watchers for each precinct or counting center in the candidate's respective district or 19 the state for any election. An [ANY] organization or organized group that sponsors or 20 opposes a ballot proposition [AN INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM,] or recall may 21 have one or more [PERSONS AS] watchers at the polls and counting centers after first 22 obtaining authorization from the director. A state party chairperson, a precinct party 23 committee, a party district committee, or a candidate may not have more than one 24 watcher on duty at a time in any precinct or counting center. A watcher must be a 25 United States citizen. The watcher may be present at a position inside the place of 26 voting or counting that affords a full view of all action of the election officials taken 27 from the time the polls are opened until the ballots are finally counted and the results 28 certified by the election board or the data processing review board. The election board 29 or the data processing review board may require each watcher to present written proof 30 showing appointment by the precinct party committee, the party district committee, 31 the organization or organized group, or the candidate the watcher represents and that
01 is signed by the respective chairperson of the precinct party committee, party 02 district committee, state party chairperson, organization or organized group, or 03 candidate. 04 * Sec. 15. AS 15.15.030 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 05 (18) The director shall by regulation require that an official ballot, 06 including an electronic ballot, contain a watermark, seal, or other security identifier. 07 The division may not count a ballot that does not include the watermark, seal, or other 08 security identifier. In this paragraph, "security identifier" includes an election official's 09 signature. 10 * Sec. 16. AS 15.15 is amended by adding new sections to read: 11 Sec. 15.15.055. Ballot security and chain of custody. (a) The director shall 12 provide by regulation for a system for ballot security and chain of custody to account 13 for the original of each used and unused ballot, absentee ballot certificate and 14 envelope, and the paper record of an electronically generated ballot under 15 AS 15.15.032 through a redundant, secure, and sealed system that accounts for the 16 location and entity that has custody of a ballot or record from the time the ballot is 17 printed or paper record produced, until 22 months after the applicable election is 18 certified under AS 15.15.450. The system must include, for each ballot that leaves the 19 division's immediate custody, an envelope-based barcode or other mechanism 20 sufficient to account for ballot chain of custody at all times the ballot is outside 21 division custody. The division shall continually update the system adopted under this 22 section to ensure that state election practices and procedures are consistent with best 23 practices and procedures and protect the integrity of state elections held under this 24 title. A signed ballot chain-of-custody document must accompany a ballot or group of 25 ballots in the division's possession. An election official shall sign the document 26 immediately upon receiving or releasing a ballot or group of ballots. 27 (b) The director shall by regulation develop a process to, following the closing 28 of the polls, void all unused ballots, spoiled ballots, and unopened packs of ballots 29 without mutilating or destroying the forensic integrity of the unused ballots, spoiled 30 ballots, or unopened packs of ballots. 31 Sec. 15.15.057. Election offense hotline. (a) The director shall establish a toll-
01 free election offense hotline to receive telephone calls reporting election offenses 02 under this chapter. The director shall publicize the availability of the toll-free hotline 03 and encourage the public to provide information to the division related to voter 04 misconduct or other election offenses under this chapter. The director shall ensure the 05 hotline is continuously staffed during the hours an early voting station is open under 06 AS 15.20.045, during the hours an early voting location is open under AS 15.20.064, 07 and for 24 hours after the time the polls open on election day. From 24 hours after the 08 polls open until all election results are certified under AS 15.15.450, the director shall 09 ensure an election official is available to respond to calls made to the hotline. 10 (b) The director shall have the election offense hotline number placed on 11 voting machines, ballot envelopes, and other election materials in a manner the 12 director determines will provide maximum public notice of the election offense hotline 13 established under (a) of this section. 14 * Sec. 17. AS 15.15.060 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 15 (f) At each polling place, the division shall provide language assistance as 16 required under 52 U.S.C. 10503 in a manner that enables each voter to participate 17 effectively in the electoral process. An election supervisor shall post at each polling 18 place information regarding the availability of language assistance in English and all 19 other languages for which language assistance is required to be provided in the 20 jurisdiction under federal law. 21 (g) The director shall provide each election board in the state with notices 22 containing the election offense hotline telephone number. The election board shall 23 post at least two of the notices in each polling place. The election board shall post the 24 notices so that they are conspicuous to voters. 25 * Sec. 18. AS 15.15.210 is amended to read: 26 Sec. 15.15.210. Questioning of voters of suspect qualification; questioned 27 ballot procedures. Every election official shall question, and every watcher and any 28 other person qualified to vote in the precinct may question, a person attempting to vote 29 if the questioner has good reason to suspect that the questioned person is not qualified 30 under AS 15.05. All questions regarding a person's qualifications to vote shall be 31 made in writing setting out the reason the person has been questioned. A questioned
01 person shall complete the declaration required under (b) of this section [, 02 BEFORE VOTING, SUBSCRIBE TO A DECLARATION IN A FORM PROVIDED 03 BY THE DIRECTOR ATTESTING TO THE FACT THAT IN EACH 04 PARTICULAR THE PERSON MEETS ALL THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A 05 VOTER, IS NOT DISQUALIFIED, AND HAS NOT VOTED AT THE SAME 06 ELECTION, AND CERTIFYING THAT THE PERSON UNDERSTANDS THAT A 07 FALSE STATEMENT ON THE DECLARATION MAY SUBJECT THE PERSON 08 TO PROSECUTION FOR A MISDEMEANOR UNDER THIS TITLE OR AS 11. 09 AFTER THE QUESTIONED PERSON HAS EXECUTED THE DECLARATION, 10 THE PERSON MAY VOTE]. If the questioned person refuses to execute the 11 declaration, the person may not vote. 12 * Sec. 19. AS 15.15.210 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 13 (b) Each person voting a questioned ballot shall complete a declaration in a 14 form provided by the director attesting to the fact that the person is a qualified voter, is 15 not disqualified, and has not voted at the same election and certifying that the person 16 understands that a false statement on the declaration may subject the person to 17 prosecution under this title or for perjury under AS 11. For state and local elections, 18 the voter must identify the voter's place of residence for the 30 days immediately 19 preceding the election. 20 * Sec. 20. AS 15.15.215(a) is amended to read: 21 (a) A voter who casts a questioned ballot shall vote the ballot in the same 22 manner as prescribed for other voters. The voter shall insert the ballot into a secrecy 23 sleeve and put the secrecy sleeve into an envelope on which the declaration required 24 by AS 15.15.210 [STATEMENT THE VOTER PREVIOUSLY SIGNED] is located. 25 The envelope shall be sealed and deposited in the ballot box. When the ballot box is 26 opened, the envelopes shall be segregated, counted, compared to the voting list, and 27 delivered to the official or body supervising the election. The merits of the question 28 shall be determined by this official or body in accordance with the procedure 29 prescribed for questioned votes in AS 15.20.207. 30 * Sec. 21. AS 15.15 is amended by adding a new section to read: 31 Sec. 15.15.455. Risk-limiting audits. (a) In addition to the ballot counting
01 review conducted under AS 15.15.420 - 15.15.440, after each state election but before 02 the certification of the ballot counting review under AS 15.15.450, the director shall 03 conduct a risk-limiting audit of selected election results. The audit must be designed 04 using statistical methods to limit the risk of certification of an election result that is 05 inconsistent with the result that would be obtained by conducting a recount. 06 (b) The director shall adopt regulations necessary to implement and administer 07 (a) of this section. The regulations must include a procedure for selecting which 08 election results to audit. In adopting regulations under this subsection, the director 09 shall consult recognized statistical experts, equipment vendors, and municipal clerks 10 and shall consider best practices for conducting risk-limiting election audits. 11 * Sec. 22. AS 15.20.020 is amended to read: 12 Sec. 15.20.020. Provision for general administrative supervision. The 13 director shall provide general administrative supervision over the conduct of absentee 14 voting. The director shall make available instructions to absentee voters regarding the 15 procedure for absentee voting and the online system for tracking absentee ballots. 16 * Sec. 23. AS 15.20.030 is amended to read: 17 Sec. 15.20.030. Preparation of ballots, envelopes, and other material. The 18 director shall provide ballots for use as absentee ballots in all districts. The director 19 shall provide a secrecy sleeve in which the voter shall initially place the marked ballot, 20 and shall provide a postage-paid return [AN] envelope with the prescribed voter's 21 certificate on it, in which the secrecy sleeve with ballot enclosed shall be placed. The 22 director shall prescribe the form of and prepare the voter's certificate, envelopes, and 23 other material used in absentee voting. The voter's certificate shall include a 24 declaration, for use when required, that the voter is a qualified voter in all respects, a 25 blank for the voter's signature, a certification that the affiant properly executed the 26 marking of the ballot and gave the voter's identity, blanks for the attesting official [OR 27 WITNESS], and a place for recording the date the envelope was sealed and witnessed. 28 An envelope may not identify a voter's party affiliation. The envelope with the 29 voter's certificate must include a notice that false statements made by the voter or by 30 the attesting official [OR WITNESS] on the certificate are punishable by law. 31 * Sec. 24. AS 15.20.045(b) is amended to read:
01 (b) The director may designate by regulation [ADOPTED UNDER AS 44.62 02 (ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT)] locations at which early [ABSENTEE] 03 voting stations will be operated for persons to vote absentee ballots on or after the 04 15th day before an election up to and including the date of the election. The director 05 shall supply these [ABSENTEE] voting stations with absentee ballots for all house 06 districts in the state and shall designate absentee voting officials to serve at the 07 [ABSENTEE] voting stations. A designation as an early voting station under this 08 subsection remains in effect unless 09 (1) the location is no longer available for use as an early voting 10 station; or 11 (2) the director determines that the location is no longer 12 appropriate for use as an early voting station and makes that determination 13 available to the public in writing. 14 * Sec. 25. AS 15.20.045(c) is amended to read: 15 (c) In a municipality in which the division will not be operating an early 16 [ABSENTEE] voting station under this section, the director may designate the 17 municipal clerk as an absentee voting official for the limited purpose of distributing 18 absentee ballots to qualified voters under AS 15.20.061(a)(1) and qualified voters' 19 representatives under AS 15.20.072. At least 15 days before the election, the director 20 shall supply municipal clerks designated under this subsection with absentee ballots. 21 * Sec. 26. AS 15.20.045 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 22 (d) The director shall appoint one or more registration officials to serve in 23 each early voting station in all elections during the hours the early voting stations are 24 open. An election official appointed under AS 15.10 may also serve as a registration 25 official. 26 * Sec. 27. AS 15.20.050 is amended to read: 27 Sec. 15.20.050. Requirement of full public notice. The director shall give full 28 public notice of the dates and manner of voting absentee and may select any means of 29 communication permitted to be used in giving notice of the date and time of the 30 general election. The director shall give notice under this section of the location of 31 early [ABSENTEE] voting stations designated under AS 15.20.045(b) at least 45
01 days before each election. 02 * Sec. 28. AS 15.20.061(a) is amended to read: 03 (a) A qualified voter may apply in person for an absentee ballot to the 04 following election officials at the times specified: 05 (1) to an absentee voting official on or after the 15th day before an 06 election up to and including the date of the election; 07 (2) to an election supervisor on or after the 15th day before an election 08 up to and including the date of the election; 09 (3) to an absentee voting official at an early [ABSENTEE] voting 10 station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) on or after the 15th day before an election 11 up to and including the date of the election; 12 (4) to an absentee voting official in the precinct in which no volunteers 13 can be located to serve on the election board on or after the 15th day before an election 14 up to and including election day. 15 * Sec. 29. AS 15.20.064(b) is amended to read: 16 (b) The election supervisor or other election official shall issue a ballot to the 17 voter upon 18 (1) exhibition of proof of identification as required in AS 15.15.225; 19 (2) verification that the voter's residence address appearing on the 20 official registration list for that election is current; and 21 (3) the voter's signing the early voting register. 22 * Sec. 30. AS 15.20.064 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 23 (e) If a voter's eligibility to vote cannot be verified by the election supervisor 24 or other election official under (b) of this section, the voter shall vote an absentee 25 ballot in the manner provided in AS 15.20.061. 26 * Sec. 31. AS 15.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 27 Sec. 15.20.068. Application for absentee ballot. The division shall provide an 28 absentee ballot application by mail only when an eligible voter expressly requests an 29 application. An application may not be distributed if a part of the application is filled 30 out for the voter. An application must prominently display who sent the application 31 and prominently display "Application only/Not a ballot" on the exterior address side
01 of the envelope. 02 * Sec. 32. AS 15.20.072(b) is amended to read: 03 (b) The voter may, through a representative, request a special needs ballot 04 from the following election officials at the times specified: 05 (1) from an absentee voting official on or after the 15th day before an 06 election, up to and including election day; 07 (2) from an election supervisor on or after the 15th day before an 08 election up to and including election day; 09 (3) from an absentee voting official at an early [ABSENTEE] voting 10 station designated under AS 15.20.045(b) on or after the 15th day before an election 11 up to and including the date of the election; or 12 (4) from a member of the precinct election board on election day. 13 * Sec. 33. AS 15.20.081(b) is amended to read: 14 (b) An application requesting delivery of an absentee ballot to the applicant by 15 mail must be received by the division of elections not less than 10 days before the 16 election for which the absentee ballot is sought. An application for an absentee ballot 17 for a state election from a qualified voter requesting delivery of an absentee ballot to 18 the applicant by electronic transmission must be received by the division of elections 19 not later than 5:00 p.m. Alaska time on the day before the election for which the 20 absentee ballot is sought. An absentee ballot application submitted by mail under this 21 section must permit the person to register to vote under AS 15.07.070, to declare an 22 affiliation under AS 15.07.075, if any, and to request an absentee ballot for each state 23 election held within that calendar year for which the voter is eligible to vote. An 24 absentee ballot application submitted by electronic transmission under this section 25 may not include a provision that permits a person to register to vote under 26 AS 15.07.070. 27 * Sec. 34. AS 15.20.081(d) is amended to read: 28 (d) Upon receipt of an absentee ballot by mail, the voter [, IN THE 29 PRESENCE OF A NOTARY PUBLIC, COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE 30 ARMED FORCES INCLUDING THE NATIONAL GUARD, DISTRICT JUDGE 31 OR MAGISTRATE, UNITED STATES POSTAL OFFICIAL, REGISTRATION
01 OFFICIAL, OR OTHER PERSON QUALIFIED TO ADMINISTER OATHS,] may 02 proceed to mark the ballot in secret, to place the ballot in the secrecy sleeve, to place 03 the secrecy sleeve in the envelope provided, and to sign the voter's certificate on the 04 envelope. The [IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OFFICIAL LISTED IN THIS 05 SUBSECTION WHO SHALL SIGN AS ATTESTING OFFICIAL AND SHALL 06 DATE THE SIGNATURE. IF NONE OF THE OFFICIALS LISTED IN THIS 07 SUBSECTION IS REASONABLY ACCESSIBLE, AN ABSENTEE VOTER 08 SHALL SIGN THE VOTER'S CERTIFICATE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN 09 INDIVIDUAL WHO IS 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, WHO SHALL SIGN AS 10 A WITNESS AND ATTEST TO THE DATE ON WHICH THE VOTER SIGNED 11 THE CERTIFICATE IN THE INDIVIDUAL'S PRESENCE, AND, IN ADDITION, 12 THE] voter shall certify, as prescribed in AS 09.63.020, under penalty of perjury, that 13 the statements in the voter's certification are true. 14 * Sec. 35. AS 15.20.081(e) is amended to read: 15 (e) An absentee ballot must be marked on or before the date of the election. 16 Except as provided in (h) of this section, a voter who returns the absentee ballot by 17 mail, whether provided to the voter by mail or by electronic transmission, shall use a 18 mail service at least equal to first class and mail the ballot not later than the day of the 19 election to the election supervisor for the house district in which the voter seeks to 20 vote. Except as provided in AS 15.20.480, the ballot may not be counted unless it is 21 received by the close of business on the 10th day after the election. [IF THE BALLOT 22 IS POSTMARKED, IT MUST BE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE ELECTION 23 DAY.] After the day of the election, ballots may not be accepted unless received by 24 mail. A ballot received after the day of the election that is not postmarked or is 25 postmarked after the day of the election may not be accepted unless the ballot 26 envelope is marked with a United States Postal Service tracking barcode 27 sufficient to verify that the ballot was mailed on or before the day of the election. 28 * Sec. 36. AS 15.20.081 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 29 (m) An absentee ballot application must include an option for a qualified voter 30 to choose to receive absentee ballots by mail for future statewide elections for a period 31 of four years. After the four-year period concludes, the division shall notify the voter
01 that the voter may reapply to receive absentee ballots by mail for another four-year 02 period. If the voter votes in person during the four year period, the division shall stop 03 sending the voter absentee ballots. If a previous absentee ballot sent under this section 04 or other mail sent to the voter by the division is returned as undeliverable, the division 05 shall stop sending the voter absentee ballots. A voter may reapply every four years to 06 receive absentee ballots by mail. 07 (n) If a voter requests under AS 15.07.060(g) or, at least 45 days before an 08 election, requests in writing or by other means designated in regulations adopted by 09 the director to receive a ballot in a language other than English in which the division is 10 required to print election materials under 52 U.S.C. 10503, as amended, the director 11 shall provide the voter with a ballot and election materials under this section in the 12 language requested. 13 * Sec. 37. AS 15.20.201(a) is amended to read: 14 (a) Not [NO] less than 10 [SEVEN] days preceding the day of election, the 15 election supervisor, in the presence and with the assistance of the district absentee 16 ballot counting board, shall begin to review all voter certificates and envelopes of 17 absentee ballots received by that date. The review of absentee ballots shall continue at 18 times designated by the election supervisor until completed. An absentee ballot may 19 not be counted until the accompanying voter certificate has been reviewed. 20 * Sec. 38. AS 15.20.203(a) is amended to read: 21 (a) The district absentee ballot counting board shall examine each absentee 22 ballot envelope and shall determine whether the absentee voter is qualified to vote at 23 the election, whether the signature on the certificate is consistent with the voter's 24 signature in voter registration records, and whether the absentee ballot has been 25 properly cast. 26 * Sec. 39. AS 15.20.203(b) is amended to read: 27 (b) An absentee ballot may [NOT] be rejected [COUNTED] if 28 (1) the voter has failed to properly sign [EXECUTE] the certificate; 29 (2) [AN OFFICIAL OR THE WITNESSES AUTHORIZED BY LAW 30 TO ATTEST THE VOTER'S CERTIFICATE FAIL TO EXECUTE THE 31 CERTIFICATE, EXCEPT THAT AN ABSENTEE BALLOT CAST IN PERSON
01 AND ACCEPTED BY AN ABSENTEE VOTING OFFICIAL OR ELECTION 02 SUPERVISOR MAY BE COUNTED DESPITE FAILURE OF THE ABSENTEE 03 VOTING OFFICIAL OR ELECTION SUPERVISOR TO PROPERLY SIGN AND 04 DATE THE VOTER'S CERTIFICATE AS ATTESTING OFFICIAL AS REQUIRED 05 UNDER AS 15.20.061(c); 06 (3)] the certificate [BALLOT] is not signed [ATTESTED] on or 07 before the date of the election; 08 (3) [(4)] the ballot envelope, if delivered by mail after the day of the 09 election [POSTMARKED], 10 (A) is not postmarked on or before the date of the election; or 11 (B) does not have a United States Postal Service tracking 12 barcode sufficient to verify that the ballot was mailed on or before the day 13 of the election; 14 (4) [(5)] after the day of election, the ballot was delivered by a means 15 other than mail; [OR] 16 (5) [(6)] the voter voted 17 (A) in person and is a 18 (i) first-time voter who initially registered by mail or by 19 facsimile or other electronic transmission approved by the director 20 under AS 15.07.050, has not provided the identification required by 21 AS 15.15.225(a), was not eligible for waiver of the identification 22 requirement under AS 15.15.225(b), and has not provided the 23 identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and (3) that can be verified 24 through state agency records described in AS 15.07.055(e); or 25 (ii) voter other than one described in (i) of this 26 subparagraph, did not provide identification described in 27 AS 15.15.225(a), was not personally known by the election official, 28 and has not provided the identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and 29 (3); or 30 (B) by mail or electronic transmission, is a first-time voter who 31 initially registered by mail or by facsimile or other electronic transmission
01 approved by the director under AS 15.07.050 to vote, has not met the 02 identification requirements set out in AS 15.07.060, and does not submit with 03 the ballot a copy of a 04 (i) driver's license, state identification card, current and 05 valid photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or hunting or 06 fishing license; or 07 (ii) current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, 08 government check, or other government document; an item described 09 in this sub-subparagraph must show the name and current address of 10 the voter; or 11 (6) the signature on the certificate is not consistent with the voter's 12 signature in voter registration records. 13 * Sec. 40. AS 15.20.203 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 14 (k) The district absentee counting board shall determine whether a voter's 15 signature on the certificate is consistent with the voter's signature in voter registration 16 records under (a) of this section using a signature verification process that includes 17 signature comparison software, according to a procedure provided in regulations 18 adopted by the director. An election official may not determine that the signature on a 19 voter's return envelope does not match the signature stored in the voter's registration 20 record solely based on substitution of initials or use of a common nickname. The 21 director shall provide training in signature comparison and the use of signature 22 comparison software to election officials who compare signatures under this section. 23 * Sec. 41. AS 15.20.220(b) is amended to read: 24 (b) The state review board shall review and count absentee ballots under 25 AS 15.20.081(e) and (h), absentee ballots properly cured under AS 15.20.222, and 26 questioned ballots that have been forwarded to the director and that have not been 27 reviewed or counted by a district counting board. 28 * Sec. 42. AS 15.20 is amended by adding new sections to read: 29 Sec. 15.20.221. Ballot tracking system. (a) The director shall establish or 30 procure an online system through which a voter may 31 (1) confirm that the voter's ballot has been sent by the division;
01 (2) track the date of the ballot's delivery to the voter; 02 (3) confirm the division's receipt of the voter's ballot; 03 (4) determine whether the voter's certificate has been reviewed; and 04 (5) determine whether the voter's ballot has been counted. 05 (b) The online system established under (a) of this section must indicate to a 06 voter 07 (1) the process by which the voter may cure the lack of signature or 08 verify the voter's identity, if the signature on the voter's ballot was missing or was 09 determined to not match the signature in the voter's registration record under 10 AS 15.20.203(k); and 11 (2) the reason the voter's ballot was not counted, if the ballot was not 12 counted. 13 (c) The division may not charge a voter a fee to use the online system. 14 (d) In establishing or procuring the online system under (a) of this section, the 15 director shall ensure that the design of the system allows a voter to easily access the 16 information required by (a) and (b) of this section through a mobile electronic device. 17 Sec. 15.20.222. Procedure for curing uncounted ballot. (a) If a voter returns 18 a ballot and the voter does not have a signature stored in voter registration records, the 19 certificate is missing a signature, the signature on the certificate is determined under 20 AS 15.20.203 to not match the signature in voter registration records, or the ballot is 21 rejected under AS 15.20.203(b)(5), the director shall immediately make a reasonable 22 effort to contact the voter, explain the ballot deficiency, explain how the deficiency 23 may be cured, and inform the voter of the deadline to cure the ballot. The director 24 shall, within 48 hours, but in no event later than five days after election day, send a 25 notice of deficiency by first class, nonforwardable mail to the address indicated in the 26 voter's registration record and by electronic mail to the voter's electronic mail address 27 if the voter has provided an electronic mail address. If the voter has provided a 28 telephone number, the director shall attempt to notify the voter of the deficiency by 29 telephone call or text message to the voter's telephone number. 30 (b) A notice of deficiency must include an explanation of the need for a 31 signature for verification purposes. The notice must include a form for the voter to
01 confirm that the voter returned a ballot to the division, provide a copy of a form of 02 identification accepted by the division under AS 15.15.225(a), and provide a signature 03 for verification. The director shall provide a printed copy of the form with the notice 04 of deficiency mailed to the voter. The director shall also make the form available in a 05 format that can be completed and returned electronically. 06 (c) The ballot of a voter who received a notice of deficiency may be counted 07 only if 08 (1) the voter returns the form sent with the notice of deficiency, the 09 division receives the form within 14 days after election day, and the form confirms 10 that the voter returned a ballot to the division; 11 (2) the voter confirms that the voter returned a ballot to the division, 12 provides a signature for verification, and includes a copy of a form of identification 13 accepted by the division under AS 15.15.225(a); and 14 (3) the ballot is otherwise valid. 15 (d) A voter's ballot may not be counted and the director shall, if applicable, 16 send copies of the signature on the voter's return envelope and the signature stored in 17 voter registration records to the attorney general for investigation if the voter returns 18 the form and the form indicates that the voter did not return a ballot to the division. 19 (e) The division shall update the signature stored in voter registration records 20 if the voter, after providing a copy of a form of identification accepted by the division 21 under AS 15.15.225(a), either provides a signature for the voter's missing signature or 22 cures a nonmatching signature under this section. 23 * Sec. 43. AS 15.20.540 is amended to read: 24 Sec. 15.20.540. Grounds for election contest. A defeated candidate or 10 25 qualified voters may contest the nomination or election of any person or the approval 26 or rejection of any question or proposition on [UPON] one or more of the following 27 grounds: 28 (1) malconduct, fraud, or corruption on the part of an election official 29 sufficient to change the result of the election; 30 (2) when the person certified as elected or nominated is not qualified 31 as required by law;
01 (3) any corrupt practice as defined by law sufficient to change the 02 results of the election; 03 (4) when the division changes the location of a precinct polling 04 place within 15 days before an election and 05 (A) the division does not send written notice of the change 06 to each registered voter in the precinct; and 07 (B) the location change was sufficient to change the results 08 of the election. 09 * Sec. 44. AS 15.20.800(a) is amended to read: 10 (a) The director may conduct an election by mail 11 (1) in an unorganized community with a population of 750 or less 12 if the director determines that facilitating organized in-person voting in the 13 community is unreasonable; 14 (2) in an area affected or threatened by a disaster while a disaster 15 declaration under AS 26.23.020 is in effect if the governor declares the emergency 16 because of 17 (A) an incident described in AS 26.23.900(2)(A); 18 (B) an outbreak of disease or a credible threat of an 19 imminent outbreak of disease; or 20 (C) an enemy or terrorist attack or a credible threat of an 21 imminent enemy or terrorist attack; or 22 (3) if it is held at a time other than when the general, party primary, or 23 municipal election is held. 24 * Sec. 45. AS 15.20.900 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 25 (c) The division shall conduct a routine forensic examination of each precinct 26 tabulator before and after each election. 27 (d) A precinct tabulator may not be connected to the Internet or a cellular 28 network from 24 hours before the polls open on election day until 14 days after the 29 polls close. During this time, all tabulator data shall be loaded from the tabulator onto 30 a separate storage device and transmitted from a computer that is not connected to the 31 tabulator.
01 (e) The division shall develop and apply strict chain-of-custody protocols for 02 precinct tabulators and the separate storage device. 03 (f) The division shall provide a technical subject matter expert appointed 04 under AS 24.20.060(10) full supervised access to all election data, algorithms, 05 software, and equipment, including precinct tabulators, storage devices, voting 06 machines, and vote tally systems. 07 * Sec. 46. AS 15.20.910 is amended to read: 08 Sec. 15.20.910. Standards for voting machines and vote tally systems. The 09 director may approve a voting machine or vote tally system for use in an election in 10 the state upon consideration of factors relevant to the administration of state elections. 11 A [, INCLUDING WHETHER THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION HAS 12 CERTIFIED THE VOTING MACHINE OR VOTE TALLY SYSTEM TO BE IN 13 COMPLIANCE WITH THE VOTING SYSTEM STANDARDS APPROVED BY 14 THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION AS REQUIRED BY 42 U.S.C. 15 15481(a)(5) (HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002). THE DIRECTOR MAY 16 ONLY APPROVE A] voting machine or vote tally system must meet the United 17 States Election Assistance Commission's voluntary voting system guidelines and 18 be certified by the commission, use only open-source software technology or 19 commercial off-the-shelf software and firmware, and satisfy [IF THE MACHINE 20 OR SYSTEM SATISFIES] the requirements of AS 15.15.032(c). 21 * Sec. 47. AS 15.20.910 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 22 (b) In this section, 23 (1) "commercial off-the-shelf" means mass-produced, commercially 24 available hardware devices, including card readers, printers, scanners, or personal 25 computers, and the firmware or software products of the hardware devices, including 26 operating systems or database management systems; 27 (2) "open-source software technology" means the complete source 28 code for the software is available to the public, under the terms of a license, to use, 29 modify, or distribute freely without payment of royalties or other consideration. 30 * Sec. 48. AS 15.56.030(d) is amended to read: 31 (d) For purposes of (a)(2) and (3) of this section, "other valuable thing"
01 (1) includes 02 (A) an entry in a game of chance in which a prize of money or 03 other present or future pecuniary gain or advantage may be awarded to a 04 participant wherein the total of the prizes offered is greater than $2 per 05 participant with a maximum of $100; and 06 (B) government employment or benefits; 07 (2) does not include 08 (A) materials having a nominal value bearing the name, 09 likeness, or other identification of a candidate, political party, political group, 10 party district committee, or organization, or stating a position on a ballot 11 proposition or question; 12 (B) food and refreshments provided incidental to an activity 13 that is nonpartisan in nature and directed at encouraging persons to vote, or 14 incidental to a gathering in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political 15 party, political group, party district committee, organization, or ballot question 16 or proposition; 17 (C) care of the voter's dependents provided in connection with 18 the absence of a voter from home for the purpose of voting; 19 (D) services provided by a person acting as a representative 20 under AS 15.20.072; 21 (E) services provided by an election official as defined in 22 AS 15.80.010; [AND] 23 (F) transportation of a voter to or from the polls without 24 charge; and 25 (G) postage-paid return envelopes required in 26 AS 15.20.030. 27 * Sec. 49. AS 15.56.035(a) is amended to read: 28 (a) A person commits the crime of unlawful interference with voting in the 29 second degree if the person 30 (1) has an official ballot in possession outside of the voting room 31 unless the person is an election official or other person authorized by law or local
01 ordinance, or by the director or chief municipal elections official in a local election; 02 (2) makes, or knowingly has in possession, a counterfeit of an official 03 election ballot; 04 (3) knowingly solicits or encourages, directly or indirectly, a registered 05 voter who is no longer qualified to vote under AS 15.05.010, to vote in an election; 06 (4) as a registration official 07 (A) knowingly refuses to register a person who is entitled to 08 register under AS 15.07.030; or 09 (B) accepts a fee from an applicant applying for registration; 10 (5) violates AS 15.20.081(a) by knowingly supplying or encouraging 11 or assisting another person to supply to a voter an absentee ballot application form 12 with a political party or group affiliation indicated if the voter is not already registered 13 as affiliated with that political party or group; 14 (6) knowingly designs, marks, or encourages or assists another person 15 to design or mark an absentee ballot application in a manner that suggests choice of 16 one ballot over another as prohibited by AS 15.20.081(a); [OR] 17 (7) knowingly submits or encourages or assists another person to 18 submit an absentee ballot application to an intermediary who could control or delay 19 the submission of the application to the division of elections or who could gather data 20 from the application form as prohibited by AS 15.20.081(a); or 21 (8) knowingly pays, offers to pay, or causes to be paid money or 22 other valuable thing to a person who is not an election official, mail carrier, or 23 person acting as a representative under AS 15.20.072 to collect a voter's ballot. 24 * Sec. 50. AS 15.56.035 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 25 (d) In this section, 26 (1) "collect" means to gain possession or control of a ballot; 27 (2) "other valuable thing" 28 (A) includes 29 (i) an entry in a game of chance in which a prize of 30 money or other present or future pecuniary gain or advantage may be 31 awarded to a participant wherein the total of the prizes offered is
01 greater than $2 for a participant with a maximum of $100; and 02 (ii) government employment or benefits; 03 (B) does not include 04 (i) materials having a nominal value bearing the name, 05 likeness, or other identification of a candidate, political party, political 06 group, party district committee, or organization, or stating a position on 07 a ballot proposition or question; 08 (ii) food and refreshments provided incidental to an 09 activity that is nonpartisan in nature and directed at encouraging 10 persons to vote, or incidental to a gathering in support of or in 11 opposition to a candidate, political party, political group, party district 12 committee, organization, or ballot question or proposition; and 13 (iii) care of a person's dependents provided in 14 connection with the absence of the person from home for the purpose 15 of collecting a ballot. 16 * Sec. 51. AS 15.56.060(a) is amended to read: 17 (a) A person commits the crime of unlawful interference with an election if 18 the person 19 (1) induces or attempts to induce an election official to fail in the 20 official's duty by force, threat, intimidation, or offers of reward; 21 (2) intentionally changes, attempts to change, or causes to be changed 22 an official election document including ballots, tallies, and returns; 23 (3) intentionally delays, attempts to delay, or causes to be delayed the 24 sending of the certificate, register, ballots, or other materials whether original or 25 duplicate, required to be sent by AS 15.15.370; [OR] 26 (4) is contracted or employed by the state to print or reproduce in any 27 manner an official ballot, and the person knowingly 28 (A) personally appropriates, or gives or delivers to, or permits 29 to be taken by anyone other than a person authorized by the director, official 30 ballots; or 31 (B) prints or reproduces or has printed or reproduced official
01 ballots in a form or with a content other than that prescribed by law or as 02 directed by the director; 03 (5) intentionally opens or tampers with a signed absentee ballot 04 certificate, sealed absentee ballot envelope, or package of ballots without express 05 authorization from the director; or 06 (6) intentionally breaches, hacks, alters, or tampers with election 07 machinery, including a tabulator, a program, a system, a server, or software used 08 to verify identity, count or tabulate, or manage or control an election function. 09 * Sec. 52. AS 15.56 is amended by adding a new section to read: 10 Sec. 15.56.065. Election fraud. (a) A person commits the crime of election 11 fraud if the person violates AS 15.56.060 and that violation changes the outcome of an 12 election. 13 (b) Election fraud is a class B felony. 14 * Sec. 53. AS 15.56.070(a) is amended to read: 15 (a) A person commits the crime of election official misconduct in the first 16 degree if while an election official, the person 17 (1) intentionally fails to perform an election duty or knowingly does an 18 unauthorized act with the intent to affect an election or its results; 19 (2) knowingly permits or makes or attempts to make a false count of 20 election returns; [OR] 21 (3) intentionally conceals, withholds, destroys, or attempts to conceal, 22 withhold, or destroy election returns; or 23 (4) knowingly discloses, shares, or reports to a person who is not 24 an election official election results, returns, or any confidential election data 25 before the polls close on election day. 26 * Sec. 54. AS 15.56.199(1) is amended to read: 27 (1) "election" includes a local election as defined in AS 15.80.010 in 28 addition to an [A STATE] election conducted by the division; 29 * Sec. 55. AS 15.80 is amended by adding a new section to read: 30 Sec. 15.80.006. Cybersecurity. (a) The director shall, by regulation, provide 31 for a cybersecurity program to defend the voter registration records kept by the
01 division against cyber attacks and data breaches and enable the division to detect and 02 recover from cyber attacks. The program must include cybersecurity training for 03 election officials. 04 (b) The director shall develop a nonpublic list of registered voters whose 05 numerical identifiers have been released in a breach of data maintained by the division 06 and shall exercise caution to protect election integrity. 07 * Sec. 56. AS 15.80 is amended by adding a new section to read: 08 Sec. 15.80.009. Election worker minimum compensation. The division shall 09 pay not less than 10 (1) $4.66 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 11 AS 23.10.065 to election board workers for time spent performing their election 12 duties; 13 (2) $5.16 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 14 AS 23.10.065 to election board chairs for time spent performing their election duties; 15 (3) $4.66 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 16 AS 23.10.065 to district absentee ballot review board members, questioned ballot 17 review board members, and absentee voting officials for time spent performing their 18 election duties; 19 (4) $5.16 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 20 AS 23.10.065 to early voting station officials at early voting stations for time spent 21 performing their election duties; 22 (5) $4.66 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 23 AS 23.10.065 to ballot tabulation coordinators, polling place field workers, individuals 24 appointed as personal representatives, and absentee and questioned ballot processors 25 for time spent performing their election duties; 26 (6) $2.16 more an hour than the minimum wage required by 27 AS 23.10.065 to extra election day and election night workers and write-in counting 28 team members for time spent performing their election duties. 29 * Sec. 57. AS 24.20.060 is amended to read: 30 Sec. 24.20.060. Powers. The legislative council has the power 31 (1) to organize and adopt rules for the conduct of its business;
01 (2) to hold public hearings, administer oaths, issue subpoenas, compel 02 the attendance of witnesses and production of papers, books, accounts, documents, and 03 testimony, and to have the deposition of witnesses taken in a manner prescribed by 04 court rule or law for taking depositions in civil actions when consistent with the 05 powers and duties assigned to the council by AS 24.20.010 - 24.20.140; 06 (3) to call upon all state officials, agencies, and institutions to give full 07 cooperation to the council and its executive director by collecting and furnishing 08 information, conducting studies, and making recommendations; 09 (4) in addition to providing the administrative services required for the 10 operation of the legislative branch, 11 (A) to provide the technical staff assistance in research, 12 reporting, drafting, and counseling requested by standing, interim, and special 13 committees and spot research and drafting services for individual members in 14 conformity with law and legislative rules; 15 (B) to conduct a continuing program for the revision and 16 publication of the acts of the legislature; 17 (C) to execute a program for the oversight of the administration 18 and construction of laws by state agencies and the courts through regulations, 19 opinions, and rulings; 20 (D) to operate and maintain the state legislative reference 21 library; 22 (E) to do all things necessary to carry out legislative directives 23 and law, and the duties set out in the uniform rules of the legislature; 24 (F) to sue in the name of the legislature during the interim 25 between sessions if authorized by majority vote of the full membership of the 26 council; 27 (5) to exercise control and direction over all legislative space, supplies, 28 and equipment and permanent legislative help between legislative sessions; the 29 exercise of control over legislative space is subject to AS 36.30.080(c) if the exercise 30 involves the rent or lease of facilities, and to AS 36.30.085 if the exercise involves the 31 acquisition of facilities by lease-purchase or lease-financing agreement;
01 (6) to produce, publish, distribute, and to contract for the printing of 02 reports, memoranda, and other materials it finds necessary to the accomplishment of 03 its work; 04 (7) to take appropriate action for the preconvening and post-session 05 work of each legislative session including the employment one week in advance of 06 each session of not more than 10 temporary legislative employees; the continuing 07 employment of the temporary legislative employees is subject to legislative approval 08 when the session convenes; 09 (8) to establish a legislative internship program on a cooperative basis 10 with the University of Alaska that will provide for the assignment of interns to 11 standing committees of each house of the legislature during regular sessions of the 12 legislature; [AND] 13 (9) to establish reasonable fees for services and materials provided by 14 the Legislative Affairs Agency to entities outside of the legislative branch of state 15 government and charges for collecting the fees; all fees and charges collected under 16 this paragraph shall be deposited into the general fund; and 17 (10) contract with technical subject matter experts to conduct full 18 forensic audits of election data, algorithms, software, and equipment, including 19 precinct tabulators, storage devices, voting machines, and vote tally systems. 20 * Sec. 58. AS 29.20.380(c) is amended to read: 21 (c) The municipal clerk may act as an absentee voting official under 22 AS 15.20.045(c) for the limited purpose of distributing absentee ballots to qualified 23 voters or qualified voters' representatives under AS 15.20.072 in a municipality in 24 which the division of elections will not be operating an early [ABSENTEE] voting 25 station under AS 15.20.045(b). 26 * Sec. 59. AS 29.26.050 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 27 (d) Except as a municipality may require for elections held only in specific 28 local election districts or service areas under (b) of this section, a person who has lived 29 within the municipality for at least 30 days, but who has not registered to vote in state 30 elections at a residence address within the municipality at least 30 days before a 31 municipal election, may vote only an absentee, special needs, or questioned ballot in
01 that election. 02 * Sec. 60. AS 15.10.170(b); AS 15.20.203(j), 15.20.207(k), 15.20.211(f); and 03 AS 29.26.050(a)(3) are repealed. 04 * Sec. 61. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 05 read: 06 APPLICABILITY. AS 15.56.030(d), as amended by sec. 48 of this Act, 07 AS 15.56.035(a), as amended by sec. 49 of this Act, AS 15.56.060(a), as amended by sec. 51 08 of this Act, AS 15.56.065, enacted by sec. 52 of this Act, and AS 15.56.070(a), as amended 09 by sec. 53 of this Act, apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of secs. 48, 10 49, and 51 - 53 of this Act. 11 * Sec. 62. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 12 read: 13 TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Revenue and the division of 14 elections may adopt regulations necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. The 15 regulations take effect under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but not before the 16 effective date of the law implemented by the regulation. 17 * Sec. 63. Sections 46 and 47 of this Act take effect January 1, 2024. 18 * Sec. 64. Section 62 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 19 * Sec. 65. Except as provided in secs. 63 and 64 of this Act, this Act takes effect January 1, 20 2023.