Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120
03/11/2025 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB91 | |
| HB30 | |
| HB119 | |
| HB43 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 91 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 43 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 104 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 119 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 43-ELECTIONS, VOTING, BALLOTS
5:10:04 PM
CHAIR CARRICK announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 43, "An Act relating to elections; relating to
voters; relating to the crime of unlawful interference with
voting; and providing for an effective date."
5:10:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY moved to adopt the proposed committee (CS)
for HB 43, Version 34-LS0231\I, Dunmire, 3/10/25, as a working
document.
5:11:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE objected.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE said that HB 43 is essentially the Senate
Rules Standing Committee's election bill and she worked
extensively with that committee to produce an election bill with
which everyone can agree. She said the topic of election reform
has been worked on for six years with no agreement reached. She
indicated that the proposed committee substitute was supposed to
reflect the agreements that were made but does not. She stated
that Alaska needs common sense election reform. She talked
about cleaning up the voter rolls and noted that issue is not
addressed under the proposed CS. She allowed that there are "a
lot of good ideas" but expressed grave concern that "the good
ideas don't have security measures in place," which can result
in error. She said she would have numerous amendments to reach
compromise.
5:13:32 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Holland, Himschoot,
Story, and Carrick voted in favor of the motion to adopt the
proposed CS for HB 43, Version 34-LS0231\I, Dunmire, 3/10/25, as
a working document. Representatives Vance and McCabe voted
against it. Therefore, Version I was before the committee by a
vote of 4-[2].
5:14:25 PM
CHAIR CARRICK expressed appreciation of Representative Vance's
remarks. She explained that HB 43, Version I, is a product of
combining aspects of the governor's bill on elections, the
Senate version, and the original version of HB 43. She said she
looks forward to a robust amendment process.
5:16:14 PM
STUART RELAY, Staff, Representative Ashley Carrick, Alaska State
Legislature, presented the summary of changes for the proposed
committee substitute for HB 43, Version I [included in the
committee file], which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Page 1 line 1, Updates title to reflect additions to
the bill
Section 1, unchanged.
Section 2, new section. Clarifies the residency
requirements to define a residence as a place where a
voter has a reasonable and articulable plan to return
to whenever they are absent and provides that the
presumption that a voter's registered address is
correct may be rebutted by evidence that the voter has
established residency at a different location.
Section 3, replaces language in former section 2 with
the following language. Adds two subsections related
to voter registration.
• Subsection (g) allows voters to designate a language
to receive election materials in from the languages
that the Division of Elections (Division) is required
to provide language assistance in.
• Subsection (h) requires voters registering within 30
days of the election to confirm that they have resided
in their house district since at least 30 days before
the election.
Section 4, new section. Clarifies that electronic
signatures are valid of the voter or a person acting
with power of attorney on behalf of the voter.
Section 5, formerly Section 3.
Section 6, formerly Section 4.
Section 7, formerly Section 5.
Section 8, formerly Section 6.
Section 9, formerly Section 7.
Section 10, formerly Section 8.
Section 11, new section. Requires the Division to send
a single forwardable notice as part of voter list
maintenance and adds additional categories of voters
to receive notices.
Section 12, formerly Section 9.
Section 13, new section. Requires the director to
develop a process for voters to cancel their
registrations and require that instructions for how to
cancel one's registration be prominently posted at
polling places. (Sect 15 SB 64 Ver I)
Section 14, new section. Requires the division to
employ 5 rural community liaisons and have one
assigned to each of the elections regions. The
liaisons shall collaborate with tribes,
municipalities, community organizations and other key
stakeholders to facilitate access to early and
absentee voting in rural areas and ensure that rural
precincts are fully staffed.
Section 15, new section. Repeals requirement that the
Alaska Public Offices Commission have offices in each
senate district.
Section 16 and 17, new sections. Removes size and
number requirements for voting booths.
Section 18, new section. Requires that notices be
posted informing voters of language assistance
available at precincts where it is required by federal
law.
Section 19, new section. Codifies the procedure for
when a person who requested an absentee ballot
attempts to vote in person.
Section 20, makes changes to section 10. Clarifies
that the division must include results for all rank
levels on the precinct results, including unofficial
results.
Section 21, new section. Enacts a new subsection
related to unofficial results and ballot review data.
• Subsection (b) requires the Division to release data
for which ballots have been counted along with
unofficial results.
Section 22, new section. Relates to pay for election
board members. The director may increase pay for
election workers but pay decreases must be done by
regulation.
Section 23, new section. Allows candidates and ballot
proposition campaigns to observe the State Review
Board process.
Section 24, new section. Allows the Division to adopt
additional risk limiting audit procedures as part of
the State Review Board process.
Section 25, formerly section 11.
Section 26, formerly section 12.
Section 27, formerly section 13.
Section 28, formerly section 14. Changes the period
that a qualified voter may apply in person for an
absentee ballot from 30 days in Ver N to 20 days.
Section 29, formerly section 15. Changes the early
voting period from 30 days in Ver N to 20 days.
Section 30, formerly section 16.
Section 31, formerly section 17.
Section 32, new section. Provides that special needs
ballots may not be rejected because of errors made by
poll workers or representatives.
Section 33, formerly section 18.
Section 34, new section. States that a ballot received
after the day of the election that is not postmarked
or postmarked after the election may be counted if it
is marked with a United States Postal Service tracking
barcode that indicates it was mailed on or before the
day of the election.
Section 35, new section. Adds subsection (m) to allow
voters to request by-mail ballots in any language for
which the division is required to provide language
assistance by federal law.
Section 36, formerly section 19.
Section 37, new section. Requires the division to
begin counting absentee ballots at least seven days
before the election and to release the first tabulated
results when polls close at 8pm on Election Day.
Section 38, formerly section 20.
Section 39, formerly section 21.
Section 40, formerly section 22.
Section 41, new section. Requires that the director
provide secure ballot drop boxes at every DOE office
and every community with 20,000 residents.
Section 42. formerly section 23.
Section 43, formerly section 24.
Section 44, new section. Requires the director to
develop a cybersecurity program to defend the voter
registration records kept by the division.
Section 45, new section. Codifies the settlement in
ACLU of Alaska v. State of Alaska related to campaign
signs along state highways.
Section 46, new section. Conforming language for
section 15 relating to the repeal of the requirement
for APOC of have offices in each Senate District.
Section 47, formerly section 25.
Section 48, formerly section 26.
Section 49, new section. Removes a requirement that
certain municipal candidates file their public
official financial disclosure twice.
Section 50, formerly section 27.
Section 51, formerly section 28.
Section 52, formerly section 29.
5:22:11 PM
CHAIR CARRICK announced that HB 43, Version I, was held over.