02/17/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

                SB 161-POLITICAL PARTY DEFINITION                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:37:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   SHOWER  reconvened   the   meeting   and  announced   the                                                               
consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.  161 "An  Act relating  to the                                                               
definition of  'political party'; and providing  for an effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:37:16 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  BILL  WIELECHOWSKI,  Alaska State  Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, sponsor of SB 161,  credited a constituent for requesting                                                               
this legislation.  He explained  that current  law states  that a                                                               
political party must receive at  least three percent of the total                                                               
votes cast  in a governor race,  U.S. Senate race, or  U.S. House                                                               
of  Representatives   race  to  be  recognized   as  an  official                                                               
political  party.  The  concern expressed  by  smaller  political                                                               
parties is  that the threshold varies  considerably from election                                                               
to election.  He cited  the example from  the 2020  election when                                                               
the  threshold   increased  27  percent  because   voter  turnout                                                               
increased. He highlighted that with  passage of Ballot Measure 2,                                                               
official party status will no  longer be used to determine ballot                                                               
access for state candidates.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  stated that  SB 161 simplifies  the process                                                               
by  changing the  widely variable  three percent  threshold to  a                                                               
single  threshold of  5,000 registered  voters. This  should save                                                               
the  Division of  Elections both  time and  expense because  they                                                               
would  no  longer  have  to review  the  petitions  from  smaller                                                               
political parties for them to appear on the ballot.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:38:58 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COSTELLO asked  how long ago the  three percent threshold                                                               
for recognition as a political party was established.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:39:14 PM                                                                                                                    
DAVID  DUNSMORE,   Staff,  Senator  Bill   Wielechowski,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, offered  to follow  up with a  detailed history.  He also                                                               
clarified that prior to passage  of Ballot Measure 2, a political                                                               
party could  qualify to  be on  the ballot  if their  nominee got                                                               
more than  three percent  of the  votes or  three percent  of the                                                               
registered  voters  were registered  with  that  party. Only  the                                                               
second option is available today.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:40:18 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR REINBOLD observed that the  threshold of three percent of                                                               
registered voters seems to have  eliminated the Green Party since                                                               
2000. She asked if he had talked to any party representatives.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. DUNSMORE answered no, but the  Green Party would be closer to                                                               
the threshold  if SB 161 were  to pass. He directed  attention to                                                               
the graph  he prepared based  on Division of Elections  data that                                                               
shows the fluctuation  in numbers of registered  voters from 2010                                                               
to 2020. This  year over 11,000 registered voters  are needed for                                                               
a political  party to  be officially  recognized and  about 8,000                                                               
registered voters were needed in  the last presidential election.                                                               
He reiterated  that if SB 161  were to pass, the  threshold would                                                               
remain steady at 5,000.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR REINBOLD asked if he  agreed with her assessment that the                                                               
bill could make a stronger two-party system.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:41:59 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. DUNSMORE  replied the expectation  is that the bill  will not                                                               
change  the number  of  parties  that voters  see  on the  ballot                                                               
because parties  have had  the ability to  petition to  appear on                                                               
the ballot when they didn't  reach the threshold. For example, in                                                               
the last  election the Alliance Party  successfully petitioned to                                                               
appear on the  ballot although it had just  18 registered voters.                                                               
SB  161 would  save  the  Division of  Elections  from having  to                                                               
process  petitions for  parties  that  have demonstrated  support                                                               
from 5,000 voters.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  REINBOLD  expressed  concern about  the  possibility  of                                                               
disenfranchising voters  and she voiced  her desire to  hear from                                                               
the Constitution  Party, the Green  Party, and others.  She asked                                                               
for  confirmation   that  this  would  not   affect  the  [Alaska                                                               
Independence Party].                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR.   DUNSMORE  clarified   that  the   bill  would   not  affect                                                               
nonpartisan  candidates, but  the  threshold would  apply to  the                                                               
Alaska Independence Party, which is well above the threshold.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:43:58 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI  summarized  that current  law  requires  a                                                               
political party to receive three  percent of the total votes cast                                                               
in  a  race  for  governor,   U.S.  Senator,  or  U.S.  House  of                                                               
Representatives to  be recognized  as a  political party.  SB 161                                                               
substantially lowers that number  to 5,000 votes. He acknowledged                                                               
that  5,000 was  an arbitrary  selection and  he was  amenable to                                                               
lowering it somewhat if that was the committee's wish.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:44:37 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR   HOLLAND  expressed   appreciation  that   the  proposal                                                               
broadens access.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER held SB 161 in committee for future consideration.