Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106
04/20/2006 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview || Division of Elections, Electronic Voting | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s) || Alaska Public Offices Commission | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 20, 2006
8:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
Representative Carl Gatto, Vice Chair
Representative Jim Elkins
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Jay Ramras
Representative Berta Gardner
Representative Max Gruenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S): DIVISION OF ELECTIONS, ELECTRONIC VOTING
- HEARD
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Alaska Public Offices Commission
Claire VanSciver Hall - Fairbanks
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
WHITNEY H. BREWSTER, Director
Division of Elections
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of the touch-screen
voting machines.
SHELLY GROWDEN, Elections Supervisor
Central Region
Division of Elections
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the overview by
the Division of Elections.
ELLEN KELLY, HAVA Systems Manager
Division of Elections
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Demonstrated the voting machines during the
overview by the Division of Elections.
CLAIRE VanSCIVER HALL, Appointee
to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC)
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As appointee to APOC, provided background
and answered questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR PAUL SEATON called the House State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:05:52 AM. Representatives
Gatto, Elkins, Gardner, and Seaton were present at the call to
order. Representatives Lynn, Ramras, and Gruenberg arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^OVERVIEW
^DIVISION OF ELECTIONS, ELECTRONIC VOTING
8:06:59 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the first order of business was the
overview by the Division of Elections regarding electronic
voting.
8:07:00 AM
WHITNEY H. BREWSTER, Director, Division of Elections, Office of
the Lieutenant Governor, presented an overview of the touch
screen voting machines. She said the division is currently
developing its procedures on how it will begin implementing the
touch screen voting machines, and she will provide a copy of
those provisions when they are completed.
8:09:03 AM
MS. BREWSTER offered a background on what happens before,
during, and after election day. She noted that the State of
Alaska has used the Diebold Global Election Management System
and Accuvote optical scan machines to collect and tally votes
since 1998. Five recounts have taken place during that time,
which she said have verified the accuracy of the electronic
voting machines. She said the Accuvote system is used by local
jurisdictions, most recently by the Municipality of Anchorage.
MS. BREWSTER reviewed the basis of the focus on the 2004 general
election results. She said there are two reports generated on
election day: the statement of votes cast report, which shows a
breakdown of the results, and the summary report, which shows
the total counts. In response to a request from Chair Seaton,
she said she would provide copies of the reports to the
committee, and she noted that they can also be obtained off of
the Division of Election's web site. The reason the statement
of votes cast report total is different than the statewide
summary, she explained, is that it totaled early voters by
region for the top four races and ballot measures - in each
district. She offered an example. She stated:
The early voting results are only reported once in
this summary. However, in the statement of votes cast
report, the result for each House district are skewed,
because that regional total is listed in each of those
House districts.
MS. BREWSTER said the regional numbers are correct, but they
are, throughout the report, listed in each House district as a
regional result, which makes the report extremely difficult to
read. In the 2004 election, she noted, the division programmed
the early voting memory cards by region, and staff was unaware
that creating the memory cards in that fashion would prohibit
the individual vote totals for U.S. President, U.S. Senate, and
state Senate candidates, and ballot measures to be broken down
by individual House district. She said the vote totals for each
region appear on each individual district's report. She
indicated that the problem that occurred was not a software or
hardware problem, but was an oversight of the division.
8:15:19 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to Chair Seaton, confirmed that the
summary report is "the official vote."
8:15:29 AM
MS. BREWSTER addressed the issue of early voting. She said the
old method was to have the individual go to the early voting
site, vote the ballot, and place it in an absentee voting ballot
envelop, which would be counted after the polls close on
election day. Using the new method implemented in 2004, a voter
who was properly registered in the correct House district and in
the correct region to vote early, would walk into the regional
office, cast a ballot, and the ballot would be scanned in at
that very moment. She indicated that in order to allow that
instant vote, "the programming of the memory cards for those
regional offices ... combined the early votes for races higher
than a House district." In House district 16-32, she reported,
some of the precincts show more than 100 percent voter turnout.
She explained, "This is because the State of Alaska held a
special election for the Municipality of Anchorage concurrently
with the general election, and ... in these districts 16-32
there were two ballots." She offered further details.
8:18:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked, "So, if you know how many
municipal ballots were cast, you could deduct that number from
the total, and then it should be correct?"
8:18:20 AM
MS. BREWSTER deferred the question to her election supervisor.
8:18:35 AM
SHELLY GROWDEN, Elections Supervisor, Central Region, Division
of Elections, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, confirmed
Representative Gardner's supposition. She offered further
details. She concluded, "So, you can clearly see on our
statement of votes cast, the total number of ballots that went
through the Accuvote unit for those districts that included both
the state ballot and the municipal ballot."
8:20:31 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked, "Then if you subtract the number of
municipal ballots that were cast from the total, you do end up
with the number of ballots that were cast for statewide race.
Is that correct?"
8:20:52 AM
MS. GROWDEN confirmed that's correct.
8:21:06 AM
MS. GROWDEN, in response to a question from Representative
Gatto, said municipal and state ballots are tracked separately.
She offered further details.
8:22:12 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to questions from Chair Seaton, said
the information and explanations appear on the division's web
site. She confirmed that the problems associated with regional
elections have been solved. She emphasized that all of the
ballots from the 2004 general election were counted again for
the U.S. Senate race, and that recount confirmed the original
election results reported and certified by the state review
board. She relayed that the division is looking for ways to
improve reporting, and it will be reaching out to interested
political groups, parties, and individuals to explain how to
read the reports. She added, "Because if you can't read the
reports, what's the point of having them available to the public
to look at?" In response to a question from Chair Seaton, she
confirmed that early voting will be handled within each
individual House district, and she said there will not be a
repeat of what happened in 2004.
8:25:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said Ms. Brewster's statement that the
recount vote in 2004 resulted in an unchanged count is
believable. However, after mentioning the comparison of a
visual count to that of the optical scanner used back then, he
asked if the vote count was merely unchanged or was actually
"exactly correct."
8:25:57 AM
MS. BREWSTER replied that there was a change of 0.3 percent, due
primarily to the requirement of the division to count, in a
recount, those absentee, by-mail ballots that come in after
election day.
8:26:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked how the 0.3 percent translates into
actual votes.
8:27:10 AM
MS. BREWSTER deferred the question to Ms. Growden.
8:27:25 AM
MS. GROWDEN confirmed Ms. Brewster's statements regarding the
0.3 percent difference between the actual certified election
results and the certified recount results. She said that is not
an unusual difference. She stated that another reason votes
change is because people sometimes do not fill in the oval
completely on the ballot, and the division's policy is that if
for any reason a mark cannot be detected, a determination is
made whether or not the voter's intent was clear.
8:29:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked again how many votes equal 0.3
percent.
8:29:50 AM
MS. GROWDEN said she doesn't remember, but the number is posted
on the division's web site.
8:30:49 AM
MS. BREWSTER said the media has mistakenly reported that touch
screens were somehow involved in the recount issue, but she
stated for the record that touch screens were not used anywhere,
statewide, in the 2004 general election.
8:31:08 AM
CHAIR SEATON confirmed, "I think the legislature had said that
until you have the paper backup, you couldn't use the machines
that ... you had in your possession."
8:31:13 AM
MS. BREWSTER reported that the Help America Vote Act of 2002
(HAVA) requires that in each polling place there be a voting
unit accessible to the visually impaired and disabled voters.
She said House Bill 320, which passed out of the legislature in
2002, directed the division to provide balloting equipment to
the visually impaired and disabled voters, so that they would
have an opportunity to vote an independent ballot. House Bill
459, which passed in 2004, required the voting units to be
capable of providing a paper record that can be reviewed and
corrected at the time the voter casts his/her ballot, as well as
required that the paper receipt be available for a recount.
Another bill, HB 94, [which passed in 2005], directs the
Division of Elections to do a hand count in one precinct in each
of the 40 House districts before certifying an election. She
added, "That will be new this year." Although it does not
relate directly to electronic voting, [HB 94] allows for one
additional check by the division. Furthermore, she said, HB 94
also allows for the director to approve a voting system and
software that is certified by the federal election commission.
MS. BREWSTER explained that the touch screen units that the
state has purchased were chosen because they meet the
requirements of HAVA, as well as state law. Furthermore, the
units have been certified, with all their components, by the
federal election commission. She explained that federal
certification means that that system meets certain functional
requirements, performance characteristics, documentation
requirements, and test evaluation criteria. Ms. Brewster
related that the touch screen units are compatible with the
division's current system, which has also been certified by the
Federal Election Commission.
MS. BREWSTER stated that although the touch screen machines are
provided for the visually impaired and disabled voter, no voter
will be turned away who requests to use them. She announced
that the Division of Elections will hold demonstrations across
the state for the blind and disabled community, so that they can
become familiar with the machines. The division will use this
opportunity to listen to feedback, particularly with regard to
how the division can train its poll workers to best assist the
disabled community to use the machines. She said there will
also be a poster by the touch screen unit, with instructions
listed on it.
8:35:28 AM
MS. BREWSTER said the state has purchased 505 touch screen
units. She emphasized that the machines will not be replacing
Alaska's current system of voting; the optical scan and the
paper ballot "in those hand count precincts" will still be
available. As per state law, there will be one touch screen
unit in each of Alaska's 439 polling places, she said. The
units were purchased, using HAVA funds. Each unit alone costs
$3,150. Each unit is equipped with a printer, to allow for a
paper trail, and that component adds an additional $350 to the
unit.
8:36:28 AM
MS. BREWSTER outlined the process of security and testing done
before an election. She stated that the process is designed in
such a way that no single group or person can tamper with the
results or the system. The state of Alaska uses an instate
printer to produce the ballots, rather than using the Accuvote
software vendor. A printout of each voter's selection will be
made available to him/her for review. At that point, she
explained, the voter can either accept the ballot, reject it and
vote again, or reject it and choose another option available for
voting in the polling place.
MS. BREWSTER relayed that each touch screen machine uses a
memory card, which is programmed by a Division of Elections
employee. At no time during the programming of the memory cards
is the unit connected to the Internet or "land" - it is a stand-
alone computer that programs the cards, she said. Once the
cards are programmed, they are tested by a bipartisan state
review board. The test results are printed from both the
optical scan and touch screen machines, and compared to the
actual test ballots for the optical scan and the paper ballots
produced by the touch screen machines. The tested and certified
memory cards are then sent to the appropriate regional
supervisors, where a separate test is done by a bipartisan
regional Accuvote review board to certify that the results match
those results certified by the state review board.
MS. BREWSTER said each optical scan and touch screen unit also
undergoes a functionality test within the regional offices. She
said the board seals the memory card into the unit and records
the seal and serial number of the units, at which point the
units are ready to be sent to the polling place. The final
test, she stated, is completed on election day by the bipartisan
election board, who prints out a "zero totals report" on the
unit to ensure that no ballots or results have been registered
on the machine. Those zero totals reports are then secured into
the unit, she concluded.
8:41:34 AM
MS. BREWSTER asked for volunteers to come test the two voting
machines.
8:43:07 AM
ELLEN KELLY, HAVA Systems Manager, Division of Elections, Office
of the Lieutenant Governor, demonstrated the voting machines,
using committee member volunteers.
[The entire committee approached the two voting machines and
were coached through the voting process by Ms. Kelly. Although
no one was near the microphones, the recording was not stopped.
At the end of the demonstration, the committee members took
their seats.]
8:50:48 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to a question from Representative
Gardner, reiterated that there will be one machine in every
polling place, including the smaller precincts, and she said
concerns about keeping the ballot secret when there are only a
handful of voters using the touch screen machine is a valid one.
She stated that the division will encourage its poll workers "to
vote that machine so that there are more votes and more voters
using the machine." She stated that there will also be
observers allowed in the polling place and, if at any time it
appears that someone is tracking how the machine is being used,
those observers can watch for that. She continued:
There's no place that the division assigns a number or
designates a ballot to a voter during the voting
process. There is no number associated with that
paper ballot printed on the machine.
8:53:11 AM
CHAIR SEATON noted that poll watchers see how many people go
into a voting booth, and in what sequence. He indicated that if
there is "a challenge" and "that tape is reviewed by political
parties and by everyone else who's reviewing that vote
sequence," that could be problematic. Therefore, he said, he
has asked the division to have the poll workers intermittently
go into the enclosed polling booth, "so that people won't know
who voted when." He stated the reason for this is "just so that
we get away from any appearance from someone being able to know,
'Okay, you voted number three, and now I can tell how you
voted,' if there's a manual recount."
8:54:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said when he used the machine during the
demonstration time, he was looking for a way to cheat, but could
not see a way to do so on the touch screen machine. Regarding
the card used, he asked if it would be possible for an
information technology (IT) genius to get the information off
the card, leave the booth, make 500 cards, and hand them off to
a friend who would go in and vote 300 times in different polling
places. He indicated that he wants the division to consider any
weakest link that may exist.
8:56:17 AM
CHAIR SEATON explained that Representative Gatto is talking
about an "encoder that reactivates the key." He asked if it is
possible for somebody to buy that encoder on the Internet.
8:56:28 AM
MS. BREWSTER said an encoder could be purchased from a vendor;
however, the encoder that the division uses is programmed by the
division with specific information. She continued, "That
individual would have to have access to our global election
management computer. That is in a secured room, locked up."
8:58:00 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to Chair Seaton's restating
Representative Gatto's aforementioned scenario, said the
division will research the issue in order to address that
concern.
8:58:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if it would be possible for someone
to watch a poll worker to find out how the card is renewed, and
then "run around and go to all the precincts and vote again."
8:58:36 AM
MS. BREWSTER explained that the decoder will be worn on a
lanyard around the poll worker's neck, and it would be very
difficult for someone to take it.
8:59:09 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked what kind of backup plan is in place if an
encoder "dies."
8:59:26 AM
MS. KELLY said the card has to be programmed with the encoder.
She offered her understanding that some of the larger precincts
will have two encoders - one as a backup. She said the encoders
are very reliable, because the batteries last for seven years.
In response to a remark by Chair Seaton, she agreed that the
backup is the current voting system, so there is no risk of
people not being able to vote.
9:00:21 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked if the division starts with new rolls of
paper backup ballots each time so that the process is not
delayed by a poll worker having to reload the paper.
9:00:40 AM
MS. BREWSTER said the spool of paper holds 140-180 ballots,
depending on the length of ballot and how many are rejected. If
the machine is popular and a number of people want to use it,
the paper would need to be replaced. She said, "It will remain
in the security canister and will be sealed and protected as a
paper ballot will be." In response to a question raised by
Representative David Guttenberg when he came by previously to
view the voting machines, Ms. Brewster said there is a warning
screen on the machine that will not allow voting when there is
an insufficient amount of paper left, until the canister has
been replaced.
9:02:21 AM
MS. BREWSTER reviewed the steps taken once the polls are closed.
She said the election board prints a results report on each of
the machines before transmitting the results electronically or
calling them in to the appropriate division regional office. In
response to Chair Seaton, she explained that two reports are
run: one that remains with the tape, [and] the other [that] is
placed with the memory card after the election, sealed in an
envelope, and sent to the state review board. The reports are
sent prior to the machine's being connected to upload the
results, so that when the comparison is done by the board, it
can look at what the machine was recording and what was
uploaded, to ensure those results match. As a result of the
passage of HB 94, the board will also be conducting a hand count
of one randomly selected precinct in each of the 40 House
districts. That precinct must comprise at least 5 percent of
the total ballots cast in its House district. She offered
examples. If results of a hand count are off by more than 1
percent, the entire House district's votes will be hand counted.
9:06:55 AM
MS. BREWSTER said HB 94 mentions results, and she clarified that
means both totals, as well as individual races. She opined that
this is the best way to address any concerns about vote counting
as intended.
9:08:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER stated that compared to the 0.3 percent
difference in a statewide race, a 1 percent discrepancy would
indicate a serious problem.
9:08:57 AM
MS. BREWSTER said she would like Ms. Growden to respond to that
observation. In response to a question from Chair Seaton, she
listed some of the numbers related to voting in his House
district.
9:10:00 AM
CHAIR SEATON figured that in the smallest [precinct] in his
district, 1 percent would equal 2 votes, while in the largest
[precinct], 1 percent would equal a difference of 10 votes.
MS. BREWSTER confirmed that's correct.
9:10:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER opined, "The tolerances ... should be
very small, given that everything is automated and not generally
touched by people. So, it should be either right or not right."
9:10:56 AM
MS. BREWSTER responded, "This was the standard set by the
legislature."
9:11:09 AM
CHAIR SEATON said he wants to committee to think about what kind
of criteria to develop regarding the standard of rejection.
9:12:15 AM
MS. BREWSTER noted, "We're not just looking at total votes cast,
... we're looking at each individual race, as well." She said
she thinks that was the legislature's intent in passing HB 94.
9:13:32 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in conclusion of the overview, said once the state
review board is confident that the results reported are
accurate, it will certify the election.
9:14:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER noted that there have been challenges
regarding the Diebold voting system. She asked what the process
was in choosing Diebold for the State of Alaska.
9:14:33 AM
MS. BREWSTER replied that a request for proposal (RFP) process
was used. One of the requirements was that the company had to
be bonded. She noted that some of the problems other states
have experienced are due to the procedures those states have set
up to test and program the machines, which are different than
the procedures the State of Alaska use.
9:16:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked what the primary difference is in
Alaska's procedure.
9:16:25 AM
MS. BREWSTER said the division does its own coding. She said
she doesn't know if other states "allow for the vendor to do
their programming."
9:16:35 AM
MS. GROWDEN proffered:
There are some jurisdictions that ... have vendors
program their elections. The same vendor prints their
ballot, ... troubleshoot[s] their election ..., and
help[s] with testing of those cards. ... That has
been an issue through ... different security measures
that the election assistance commission has been
looking in best practices. Because when you put all
your eggs in one basket like that, that jurisdiction
then really gives up control of security over their
elections. We have never, in Alaska, allowed that to
happen with our election programming. It always had
division staff with bi-partisan review boards doing
the testing, and a different vendor doing the
printing.
9:18:03 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to questions from Chair Seaton,
confirmed that if a card has been sent out to a precinct and is
found to have a problem, it has to be sent back to Juneau to be
reprogrammed. The precincts outside of Juneau do not even have
the equipment to reprogram cards.
9:18:30 AM
MS. GROWDEN stated that one of the reasons the state chose the
Diebold system is that it had already invested in a ballot-
counting system for the state, for which procedures and security
measures had already been established, and which had been proven
to accurately count ballots in Alaska. When looking at the
purchase of touch screen voting equipment, to comply with HAVA,
one of the requirements was that the system purchased had to be
compatible with the existing software in current use. The
reason, she explained, was that the division did not want to
have two different ballot tabulation systems in the state that
did not "talk to each other," and where staff would have to take
both sets of results and merge them together in a manual
process. She stated that there is not any other vendor whose
software is compatible with the global election management
system (GEMS) software [produced by Diebold].
9:20:11 AM
CHAIR SEATON clarified that the software used for the state's
Accuvote system is made by Diebold, which is why it is
compatible with Diebold's touch screen machine.
9:21:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER observed that Diebold already "had a leg
up" in compatibility.
9:21:16 AM
MS. BREWSTER said she was not involved in the RFP process, so
she would get back to Representative Gardner with a response.
9:22:54 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to a question from Representative
Gruenberg, reiterated that the security procedures in Alaska
will not allow for some of the things that have happened [in
other states].
9:23:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER mentioned $2 million in the federal
budget. She asked if that money has been spent, if it was
adequate to meet the needs of the division, and what the
projected costs are.
9:23:59 AM
MS. BREWSTER said the division has approximately $16 million
HAVA funds in an interest-yielding account. Additionally, the
division is looking at other ways to improve elections. For
example, the division has opened two satellite offices that
function as regional offices to better serve voters in rapidly
growing areas. She reported that the division has also moved
the absentee office from the director's office and made it a
stand-alone office in Anchorage, which should improve the speed
at which people receive their absentee ballots and the speed at
which the division can process them. She said the use of
absentee ballots is a popular method of voting.
9:25:35 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to a follow-up question from
Representative Gardner, confirmed that the division has adequate
funds for training and any necessary staff increases. She
offered further details.
9:26:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said the voters of Anchorage recently
turned down some school bonds, and, as a result, the
Municipality of Anchorage held a special election at the same
time and place as the general election. He indicated that there
was a cost to the municipality. He asked Ms. Brewster if she is
aware of ways to keep costs down in the future.
9:26:57 AM
MS. BREWSTER responded that the state actually conducted the
special election for the municipality in 2004; however, the
Municipality did reimburse the state for the cost of holding
that special election. She stated, "We will try to work with
municipalities as much as possible to try to assist them in
their elections, and if there are ways to cut down on costs, by
doing what the Division of Elections did in 2004, the lieutenant
governor has advised us that we should continue to work with
municipalities in that way." In response to a follow-up
question from Representative Gruenberg, she said the division
has the ability to do that currently, thus, she is not aware of
any legislative changes necessary in this regard.
9:28:04 AM
CHAIR SEATON stated his appreciation of the division's
willingness to work with the municipalities.
9:28:14 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if there is any method of notifying
voters who vote outside of their own district that they do not
have the full ballot for their district.
9:29:08 AM
MS. BREWSTER indicated that there is some place to go where the
ballots for all 40 House districts are available. She said that
information is advertised on the Division of Elections' web
site, as well as in the newspaper.
9:29:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER said she thinks a lot of people don't
understand that if they don't vote in their own district, "the
vote that they make in their out-of-district area for candidates
that are local there won't count, and they don't have the
opportunity to vote for their own."
9:30:10 AM
MS. BREWSTER said it is printed on a voter's registration card
where he/she is to vote. She welcomed suggestions from the
committee regarding how to better communicate with the public as
to where they are supposed to or can vote.
CHAIR SEATON encouraged all committee members to speak directly
with the division with any suggestions or questions. He
announced that the touch screen machines would be set up until 2
p.m. today for anyone to try.
9:32:13 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to a question from Representative
Gardner, said the division has made presentations for the blind
and disabled community and will be offering demonstrations
statewide, beginning in June, specifically so that the targeted
users of the machines can try them out and offer their feedback.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Alaska Public Offices Commission
9:33:02 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the last order of business was the
confirmation hearing for the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
9:33:28 AM
CLAIRE VanSCIVER HALL, Appointee to the Alaska Public Offices
Commission (APOC), offered her background for the committee,
relaying that formerly she was a teacher, and currently she is a
paralegal and office manager of her husband's law practice. She
stated she is interested in APOC because it plays an important
role in government oversight - a role in which she said she
would like to participate.
9:34:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS stated that Ms. VanSciver Hall shows
integrity and openness and is the most fair and decent person in
Fairbanks.
9:37:21 AM
MS. VanSCIVER HALL, in response to a question from
Representative Gruenberg, offered some details about her
husband's law practice.
9:38:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he thinks it is a great idea to
get people who are involved in family law into the public
process.
9:38:23 AM
MS. VanSCIVER HALL, in response to a remark made by
Representative Gruenberg, confirmed that APOC is comprised of an
even number of Republicans and Democrats, and although she will
be filling a Republican seat, she will be fair to both parties.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said the folks involved in APOC are
overworked and underpaid, and he expressed his support of the
commission.
9:39:48 AM
CHAIR SEATON stated that APOC is a commission important to the
public, because it verifies that the legislature is fulfilling
ethical and reporting standards. He stated that he is happy to
hear the personal recommendations from people in Fairbanks who
know Ms. VanSciver Hall.
9:40:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to advance the confirmation of
Claire VanSciver Hall to the joint session of the House and
Senate. There being no objection, the nomination of Claire
VanSciver Hall to the Alaska Public Offices Commission was
advanced.
9:41:14 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that an executive session would take
place next week. In response to a question from Representative
Gardner, he said staff will not be allowed at the executive
session.
9:42:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG talked about signing confidentiality
forms, which would show the gravity of the situation and remind
those who sign it of the confidentiality.
9:43:38 AM
CHAIR SEATON said he would check with Legislative Legal and
Research Services on that issue. He said he would like to let
those from the Department of Homeland Security know ahead of the
executive session which issues the committee would like
addressed.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at
9:44:40 AM.
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