CSHB 129(STA): "An Act relating to voter registration; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 129(STA) 01 "An Act relating to voter registration; and providing for an effective date." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 15.07.130(a) is amended to read: 04 (a) Periodically, at times of the director's choosing, but not [NO] less 05 frequently than in January of each calendar year, the director shall examine the master 06 register maintained under AS 15.07.120 and shall send, by nonforwardable mail to the 07 voter's registration mailing address, and to the voter's electronic mail address, if 08 available, a notice requesting address confirmation or correction. The notice must 09 explain that the voter's registration will be inactivated unless the voter responds 10 to the notice within 45 days after the date the notice is sent. The director shall 11 send the notice to each voter 12 (1) whose mail from the division has been returned to the division in 13 the two years immediately preceding the examination of the register; 14 (2) who has not contacted the division in the two years immediately 15 preceding the examination of the register and [; OR (3)] who has not voted or
01 appeared to vote in the two years [GENERAL ELECTIONS] immediately preceding 02 the examination of the register; or 03 (3) who, after registering to vote in this state and in the two years 04 immediately preceding the examination of the register, has 05 (A) registered to vote in another state; 06 (B) received a driver's license from another state; 07 (C) registered a vehicle in another state; 08 (D) received public assistance in another state; 09 (E) served on a jury in another state; 10 (F) obtained a resident hunting or fishing license in another 11 state; or 12 (G) moved to a different residence, according to 13 information from the United States Postal Service national change of 14 address program. 15 * Sec. 2. AS 15.07.130(b) is amended to read: 16 (b) If a registered voter does [HAS] not respond to a notice sent under (a) of 17 this section within 45 days after the date the notice is sent, the director shall 18 inactivate the voter's registration [, WITHIN THE PRECEDING FOUR 19 CALENDAR YEARS, CONTACTED THE DIVISION AND HAS NEITHER 20 VOTED NOR APPEARED TO VOTE IN A LOCAL, REGIONAL SCHOOL 21 BOARD, PRIMARY, SPECIAL, OR GENERAL ELECTION DURING THE LAST 22 FOUR CALENDAR YEARS AND A NOTICE SENT TO THE VOTER UNDER (a) 23 OF THIS SECTION WAS RETURNED AS UNDELIVERABLE, THE VOTER 24 SHALL BE ADVISED BY A NOTICE SENT BY FORWARDABLE MAIL TO THE 25 VOTER'S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS THAT REGISTRATION WILL BE 26 INACTIVATED UNLESS THE VOTER RESPONDS TO THE NOTICE NO 27 LATER THAN 45 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE SENT UNDER 28 THIS SECTION]. The director shall maintain on the master register the name of a 29 voter whose registration is inactivated. The director shall cancel a voter's inactive 30 registration in accordance with the procedures set out in 42 U.S.C. 1973gg-6 (sec. 8, 31 National Voter Registration Act of 1993) after the second general election that occurs
01 after the registration becomes inactive if the voter does not contact the division or vote 02 or appear to vote. 03 * Sec. 3. AS 15.07.130(d) is amended to read: 04 (d) The notice sent under (a) [(b)] of this section must include a postage 05 prepaid and pre-addressed return card on which the voter may state the voter's current 06 address. The notice must indicate 07 (1) that the voter should return the card not later than 45 days after the 08 date of the notice if the voter did not change residence; 09 (2) that failure to return the card by the 45-day deadline could result in 10 removal of the voter's name from the official registration list for a subsequent election; 11 (3) that the voter's registration will be cancelled if the voter does not 12 contact the division during, or vote or appear to vote in an election held during, the 13 period beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the last day of 14 the fourth calendar year that occurs after the date of notice; and 15 (4) how the voter can continue to be eligible to vote if the voter has 16 changed residence. 17 * Sec. 4. AS 15.07.130 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 18 (g) The division shall adopt regulations providing for regular review and 19 updates of the master register. The regulations must provide for review of the register 20 for data breaches, the number of registered voters compared to persons eligible to vote 21 in the state, and the names of deceased voters, persons convicted of a felony involving 22 moral turpitude, persons not qualified to vote under AS 15.05, and persons registered 23 to vote in another state. The regulations must specify records and databases for use in 24 reviewing the master register; the records and databases may include the United States 25 Postal Service national change of address database, an electronic registration 26 information center dedicated to improving the integrity of voter rolls and maintained 27 by a nonprofit membership organization of which the state is a member, state motor 28 vehicle records, records of the state programs of corrections, property and sales tax 29 records, records of the federal social security system, municipal assessor databases, 30 the United States Social Security Administration death index, an alien database 31 maintained by the United States Department of Homeland Security, and jury duty
01 records. 02 (h) The director shall adopt a best practice voter registration system to 03 improve identity matching when comparing the master register with the records and 04 databases used to review the master register. The director shall develop a written 05 maintenance schedule and guideline manual for the system and provide a report on the 06 system to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or 07 before the first day of the first regular session of each legislature and shall notify the 08 legislature that the report is available. 09 (i) The director shall, in a notice sent under (a) of this section, inform a voter 10 of the criteria to qualify as a voter and the penalties for voter misconduct. 11 * Sec. 5. AS 15.07 is amended by adding a new section to read: 12 Sec. 15.07.133. Process to cancel registration. The director shall develop a 13 process to allow a voter to cancel the voter's registration in person before an election 14 official or electronically. The director shall prominently display instructions for a 15 voter to cancel the voter's registration at each polling place. 16 * Sec. 6. This Act takes effect July 1, 2023.