SB 64-ELECTIONS  3:35:11 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI reconvened the meeting and 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." 3:35:43 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on SB 64. 3:36:03 PM SUE SHERRIF, President, League of Women Voters of Alaska (LWVAK), Fairbanks, Alaska, testified in support of SB 64. She read the following written testimony: [Original punctuation provided.] We highlight three provisions of the bill that will offer the State Division of Elections means of improving the likelihood that a citizen's vote will be counted at relatively low or no cost to the State: 1.Prepaid postage for absentee and mail-in ballots. The fact that some ballots require more postage than the standard stamp, that fewer people today communicate by traditional mail and may not have stamps on hand, and that postal service in many areas of the state is contracted and may have limited hours of service, while in other communities there may not be local sales of postage stamps at all, means that this proposal is a low-cost way to easily erase one obstacle in the voting process. 2.Elimination of the signature requirement for  absentee and mail-in ballots. The Division of Elections should use its resources to verify voters' identities and should not rely on an often-illegible signature of a witness who is not identified in any other meaningful way on the cover envelope for mailed ballots. The requirement puts up an unnecessary barrier to some people who live by themselves or who may be out of state or country, and this requirement has in fact caused the rejection of the votes of otherwise eligible and qualified voters. 3.A ballot cure process. Such a process would ensure that the Division of Elections looks for problems with return envelope identification information before the election and, like 24 other states and the Municipality of Anchorage, allows voters the chance to provide missing information before their votes are discarded. Currently the work of the Division of Elections to identify problems is already established but takes place after the election with no recourse for the voters when they have been notified that their vote did not count. These three provisions along with others in the bill will work to make voting more accessible to Alaskans who wish to vote in the elections that the Alaska Division of Elections works so diligently to ensure are safe and secure. 3:40:00 PM ED MARTIN, representing self, Kenai, Alaska testified with concerns on SB 64. He stated that first, there's concern about election division security and transparency, particularly regarding mail-in ballots. He urged the legislature to pass a resolution urging the President to issue an executive order assigning postmasters as chain-of-custody officers for all ballots. Second, he submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on November 2 emailed followed up questions about WPX Security and wants an answer from the Division. Third, he stated that the election pamphlet needs correcting. He said he had concerns about precinct labeling discrepancies for election reporting. 3:44:36 PM BARBARA HANEY, representing self, North Pole, Alaska, testified with concerns on SB 64. She stated that first, the synthetic media section (page 22, line 8) is too broad. This section should be reconsidered or removedit's not the Division of Elections' role and better suited for Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC). Second, the signage limit (page 25, line 22) is unfair. Political signs are capped at 32 sq. ft., while others (like business signs) can be 66 sq. ft. She stated that for fair political visibility, the size limit should match federal standards. 3:50:25 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI mentioned that the committee had some discussion on the synthetic media section of the bill. He stated that there are other similar bills moving through the committee, and the committee would cover artificial intelligence in more depth during another meeting. He stated that the 32 sq. ft. sign limit, ties to an Alaska Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) case and current billboard law. 3:51:50 PM RANDY RUEDRICH, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, testified with concerns on SB 64. He stated that the witness signature on absentee and mail-in ballots plays a key role in verifying the voter's identity and without it, there's no other signature verification in our process. He stated that in the last election there were only 512 witness signature issues so given this low rejection rate, there's no need for a complicated cure process that adds confusion and cost. 3:56:38 PM RITA TROMETTER, representing self, North Pole, Alaska, testified with concerns on SB 64. She stated that Section 38 seems to reject progress. AI, or "synthetic media," is a modern tool widely used in the 2024 general election. She said we should evolve with technology, as we do with computers. She stated that Section 39 restricts free speech by limiting campaign sign size on private property. A 32 sq. ft. sign isn't visible from a highway if it's set back for beautification laws. She said limiting signs during campaign season downplays the election's importance and may conflict with past court rulings supporting larger signs on private land. 3:59:11 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 64 in committee.