03/18/2025 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

                        SB  64-ELECTIONS                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:34:14 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL NO. 64                                                               
"An Act  relating to elections;  relating to voters;  relating to                                                               
voting; relating to voter preregistration  for minors at least 16                                                               
years of  age; relating  to voter  registration; relating  to the                                                               
Alaska Public Offices Commission;  relating to synthetic media in                                                               
electioneering  communications;   relating  to   campaign  signs;                                                               
relating to  public official  financial disclosures;  relating to                                                               
the  crime of  unlawful  interference with  voting  in the  first                                                               
degree; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:35:56 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR YUNDT asked  Ms. Beecher to speak on  ballot tracking and                                                               
related issues.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:36:06 PM                                                                                                                    
CAROL  BEECHER,  Director,   Division  of  Elections,  Anchorage,                                                               
Alaska, spoke to  the proposed amendments for SB  64 and answered                                                               
that people  can access the  My Voter Portal (MVP)  by contacting                                                               
the  Division of  Elections to  receive a  code to  log in.  Once                                                               
logged  in the  voter  can  see if  their  ballot  was mailed  or                                                               
received by  the division. With  no cure process the  voter won't                                                               
be able  to see or be  notified of ballot issues  until after the                                                               
election.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:37:01 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  YUNDT asked  about potential  issues with  using a  more                                                               
extensive level of ballot tracking.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:37:15 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.  BEECHER  responded that  the  division  is in  contact  with                                                               
ballot tracking vendors,  like the vendor BallotTrax  used by the                                                               
City  of Anchorage,  to  decide whether  vendors  can help  solve                                                               
ballot tracking problems.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:37:47 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  said that Anchorage  is an urban  area with                                                               
post   offices,  but   rural   Alaska  doesn't   have  the   same                                                               
infrastructure. He  asked if she  could explain  the complexities                                                               
that exist with ballot tracking  and what other option Alaska has                                                               
besides putting RFID chips in each ballot.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:38:15 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. BEECHER answered that one of  the main challenges is the lack                                                               
of ability to  scan postal codes in rural areas  and figuring out                                                               
how to  track ballots coming back  to the division by  adding the                                                               
tracking mechanisms into the ballot  envelopes. She opined that a                                                               
ballot tracking system would not work  in the rural areas at this                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:39:15 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  KAWASAKI  referenced  Section  41  [AS  15.20.221  and  AS                                                               
15.20.222] and stated that the  committee needs to review Section                                                               
41 to adhere to best practices, including ballot tracking.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:40:14 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI stated that  he supports ballot tracking and                                                               
asked if Alaska  will be able to obtain a  ballot tracking system                                                               
under what the current laws require.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:40:35 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. BEECHER responded that she  will know more after meeting with                                                               
the vendors.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:41:19 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  KAWASAKI stated  that  in the  sectional  analysis for  SB                                                               
Section  43 says  the director  will provide  secure ballot  drop                                                               
boxes at every  division office. He noted in  a previous election                                                               
year  there were  secure ballot  boxes outside  of each  division                                                               
office in Anchorage  and Fairbanks. He asked  whether Ms. Beecher                                                               
could adopt  regulations to  provide drop  boxes outside  of each                                                               
division office.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:42:12 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. BEECHER answered  that the division doesn't own  its own drop                                                               
boxes. In 2020 it borrowed  drop boxes from the municipality. She                                                               
said for  this provision to work  the division would need  to buy                                                               
the drop  boxes, have a place  to store them in  the off-election                                                               
year, have a  way to move them to the  correct locations, install                                                               
a security  monitoring system with  cameras, and  during election                                                               
time the boxes  would need to be  manned and closed by  8 pm. She                                                               
stated that if the legislation  passes a regulation that requires                                                               
the division  to provide pre-paid ballot  envelopes, voters could                                                               
go to  the USPS and  there wouldn't be  a need for  secure ballot                                                               
boxes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:43:39 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  agreed that  there wouldn't  be a  need for                                                               
ballot  drop  boxes if  the  division  sent out  pre-paid  ballot                                                               
envelopes. He  asked if putting a  ballot box in the  Division of                                                               
Elections would be a large cost.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:44:16 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.  BEECHER clarified  if  he  was referring  to  an actual  box                                                               
similar to the ones the municipality has  or a box you can put on                                                               
the counter.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:44:29 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI  answered  that  he thinks  a  box  at  the                                                               
counter would suffice.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:44:33 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. BEECHER  answered that all  election offices have  drop boxes                                                               
that can be used on election day.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:44:44 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  stated that  the idea of  requesting ballot                                                               
drop boxes is getting expensive and  asked if she had an estimate                                                               
for the fiscal note.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:45:01 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.  BEECHER answered  that the  division knows  the cost  of the                                                               
boxes  but not  the freight  or  monitoring system  that will  be                                                               
required in tandem with the boxes.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:45:33 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on SB 64.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:46:17 PM                                                                                                                    
MARY  DAVID,  Executive  Vice   President,  Kawerak  Inc.,  Nome,                                                               
Alaska, testified in support of  SB 64 and listed some challenges                                                               
from  last   elections  namely:  limited  polling   hours,  staff                                                               
shortages   and  rejected   ballots   due   to  missing   witness                                                               
signatures. She said during the  general elections in 2024, House                                                               
District 39 only had 40.9 percent  show up to vote. She suggested                                                               
removing  the  witness  signature  requirement to  make  it  more                                                               
convenient for rural Alaska and  military to vote. She noted that                                                               
many rural Alaskans residents speak  English as a second language                                                               
and having staff that could translate would be helpful.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:48:37 PM                                                                                                                    
ED  MARTIN,  representing  self,   Kenai,  Alaska,  testified  in                                                               
opposition  to SB  64 and  stated that  by law,  contractors that                                                               
handle  ballots must  be bonded.  He stated  his belief  that the                                                               
witness signature and photo ID should remain required.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:50:58 PM                                                                                                                    
MARGE  STONEKING,  Advocacy  Director,  American  Association  of                                                               
Retired Persons  Alaska (AARP),  Anchorage, Alaska,  testified in                                                               
support  of SB  64 and  stated that  AARP supports  election laws                                                               
that maximize the opportunity for  voter participation and expand                                                               
voter access,  by removing the  witness signature  requirement of                                                               
absentee mail-in  ballots, creating  a ballot curing  process for                                                               
voters,  providing return  postage envelopes  to pay  for mail-in                                                               
ballots  and  requiring  a  secure  drop  box  for  every  20,000                                                               
residents.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:53:35 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI held public testimony open for SB 64.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:54:13 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 64 in committee.