SJR 18-WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE  3:36:29 PM CHAIR REVAK reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18, Commemorating the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. He stated that this is the first hearing, public testimony will be heard, and if it is the will of the committee, he would like to move the bill today. 3:36:52 PM BETTY TANGEMAN, Staff, Senator Joshua Revak, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SJR 18 on behalf of the sponsor, paraphrasing the following sponsor statement: The most foundational right in a democracy is the right to have your voice heard through the ballot box. Our nation is made stronger by all citizens contributing to our governance. There have been many heroes in the fight for women's suffrage throughout history, but the movement in the United States truly took form in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention where eloquent speakers like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott outlined their dream of an America where the votes of women would be counted. It would take 70 years for this dream to be realized with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution on August 18, 1920, but it is clear that we are indebted to the countless women who made this happen. Our nation will forever be the land of the free and the home of the brave because the unalienable rights of women are eternally secured. We celebrate women's suffrage and the many trailblazers that the women's movement has and will continue to produce. Here in Alaska, a woman's right to vote was guaranteed on March 21, 1913 as the first action of the newly formed Territorial Legislature; a clear point of pride for Alaskans. In 1959, in the very first meeting of the Alaska State Legislature there were four women standing as members of the body. In 2002, Alaska sent its first female US Senator to Washington, Lisa Murkowski, and four years later we elected our first female Governor, Sarah Palin. Palin also made history as the first Alaskan to run on a Presidential ticket. The 19th Amendment reads, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." A short sentence with profound and everlasting impacts worthy of significant celebration. 3:39:51 PM SENATOR COGHILL commented that this is a good commemoration. CHAIR REVAK said he enjoyed doing the research and found it interesting that Alaska's first act as a territorial government was to ratify women's suffrage. He noted that this was seven years ahead of the federal government. He invited Ms. Brown to comment on the bill. 3:41:47 PM ANN BROWN, Vice Chair, Alaska Republican Party, Anchorage, Alaska, stated that the Republican Party supports the 19th Amendment, the unabridged right of U.S. citizens to vote, and SJR 18. 3:42:20 PM CHAIR REVAK opened public testimony on SJR 18. 3:42:57 PM XOCHITL LOPEZ-AYALA, representing self, Homer, Alaska, applauded the intention of SJR 18 but reminded members that not all women achieved voting rights 100 years ago. She said this omission essentially whitewashes history. MS. LOPEZ-ALALA pointed out that only white Alaskan women were granted the right to vote in 1913. Not until 1915 did the Alaska Territorial Legislature recognize the right of indigenous people to vote and that right was only granted in exchange for giving up tribal customs and traditions. She mentioned the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that secured the right to vote for most marginalized communities and emphasized that the State of Alaska needs to acknowledge the systemic oppression women of color and indigenous Native women faced to gain the right to vote. She opined that sacrificing traditions, language barriers at the ballot box, unreliable access to polling stations and other forms of voter suppression should be entered into SJR 18. MS. LOPEZ-ALALA pointed out that in 2004, 24 villages in Alaska did not have polling places, and that prior to Nick, et al. v. Bethel, et al. in 2007, the Division of Elections did not provide audio and written materials in Alaska Native languages. She stressed that for SJR 18 to really acknowledge the history of women's suffrage and voting rights, it has to acknowledge Alaska's history. MS. LOPEZ-ALALA clarified that she was not testifying to seek reparations or for the state's wrongs to be righted. She was testifying to ask the Alaska Legislature to acknowledge the past and not whitewash the state's history. 3:46:46 PM CHAIR REVAK found no one else who wished to comment and closed public testimony on SJR 18. 3:47:02 PM At ease 3:47:41 PM CHAIR REVAK reconvened the meeting and asked the will of the committee. 3:47:54 PM SENATOR COGHILL voiced support for moving the legislation but acknowledged that the previous testimony was worthy of consideration. He said he reviewed the "whereas" phrases and did not know that the resolution excluded anyone just because it did not specifically include them. SENATOR COGHILL moved to report SJR 18, Version A, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). CHAIR REVAK found no objection and SJR 18 was reported from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.