SB 24-SPECIAL ABSENTEE BALLOTS  CHAIR SEEKINS announced SB 24 to be up for consideration. SENATOR LINCOLN, sponsor of SB 24, said she had another meeting to attend, but her chief of staff, Sarah Boraio, was available to answer questions. She explained that this was introduced in the last session and made it through the system, but didn't get passed. She hopes it will make it through this time so that people in remote areas will have the opportunity to vote. 2:00 p.m. MS. SARAH BORAIO, staff to Senator Lincoln, said that SB 24 offers voters living in a remote area the opportunity to vote using the 60-day special advance absentee ballot. In current statute, only voters living, working or traveling outside of the United States are eligible for that special advance absentee ballot. However, distance, terrain and natural conditions have prevented voters in remote areas from reaching a community with a polling place or from receiving by-mail ballots. The current absentee ballot is mailed out 14-15 days in advance. The Division of Elections supports the bill and they already distribute the 60-day ballots to those out of state. This legislation would not impose any administrative difficulties and there is a zero fiscal note. She said there were some concerns about definitions and she wanted to clarify that Legislative Legal said the way the Division of Elections applies their current regulations in determining absentee voters would apply in determining those eligible for this special advance absentee ballot. One of the criteria the division uses to identify absentee voters is if the voter resides in a remote area in Alaska or where distance, terrain or other natural conditions deny the voter reasonable access to the polling place. The definition of remote is inherent in the regulations and in this bill; a remote area is one where reasonable access to a polling place is denied by those criteria. A key phrase is "reasonable access". Legislative Legal found that in the past, courts have interpreted that to be a matter of degree, which depends on the specific facts of the case, which are usually determined by the division and identified in their system. SENATOR OGAN said he could see 60 days for someone on a sailboat, but it seemed long for someone in state and asked if there was any place in state where mail wasn't delivered for 14 days. MS. BORAIO said right now there is an absentee ballot that goes out 15 days in advance and there is the 60-day ballot. Establishing a 30-day ballot might add more overhead. MS. VIRGINIA BREEZE, Legislative Liaison, Division of Elections, agreed with Ms. Boraio and said that the division supports the bill. They do everything they can to make it convenient for voters. Those in remote areas often have a difficult time getting their ballots back in time. SENATOR OGAN asked if she had statistics on how many ballots they get back after the deadline and since they now mail ballots 14 days in advance, what is the longest it takes to get mail in a remote location in Alaska. MS. BREEZE said she couldn't answer that. SENATOR THERRIAULT said he knows that some mail systems are notoriously slow, but he didn't know if 60 days was necessary. CHAIR SEEKINS said he knows some people that live in remote areas and the election season is difficult for them because they have access only by air. Some elections are scheduled when their plane can't be on floats and can't be on wheels either. Unless there is some undue hardship on the division, he would be as lenient as he could be to make sure that people have the opportunity to participate in elections. He didn't want to create a special group, but he also wouldn't want to do anything that would preclude anyone from voting. He said that they would bring the bill back up under bills already heard and provide anyone the opportunity to ask questions of the sponsor in the meantime.