SB 167-ELECTIONS; FRAUD; BALLOTS  5:02:30 PM CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 167 "An Act relating to elections, voter registration, ballots, and a system of tracking and accounting for ballots; establishing an election offense hotline; relating to election fraud, election interference, and election official misconduct; requiring signature verification, notice, and the opportunity to cure; and providing for an effective date." 5:03:05 PM CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on SB 167. 5:03:22 PM ROBERT WELTON, representing self, Douglas, Alaska, said SB 167 has both good and bad ideas. He said the provisions that provide a thorough check of voter rolls, mandated audits of election machines, and a voter tracking system are good ideas. These things will improve the security and trust in the system. But changing the PFD automatic voter registration from opt out to opt in is a bad idea. The provision ignores the will of the voters who voted in 2016 to make that registration opt out. He cited a Division of Elections report that indicated that 13,000 new voters have been registered under this program and 4,299 of those individuals voted. He called it a bad idea to require voters to reapply every four years to receive an absentee ballot. He pointed out that the Division of Elections testified to this committee that no significant fraud had been identified in Alaska elections so there was no reason to require voters to jump through this hoop. The third provision he did not support was the requirement for signature verification on all absentee ballots because it opens the absentee voting process to partisan abuse. He noted that a similar law in Texas resulted in 30 percent of absentee ballots in a recent election being rejected, and warned against opening the door for abuse on this process. Finally, he said the addition of confusing language about ranked choice voting on election pamphlets is a bad idea. He characterized it as an attempt to sow confusion and doubt before the system had been given a chance. MR. WELTON concluded his testimony stating that because of the foregoing articulated objections, he did not support SB 167 without significant amendments. He thanked the committee for listening and the individual members for their service to the state. 5:06:19 PM MORGAN LIM, representing Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates (PPAA), Juneau, Alaska, stated that PPAA opposes SB 167 as a voter suppression bill that imposes a web of barriers to access the polls. The bill claims to combat election fraud in Alaska when no fraud had been identified. He called it a bill in search of a problem that, if passed, will disenfranchise voters. By contrast, PPAA supports policies that make it easier for eligible individuals to register to vote and ensure that all votes are counted equally. PPAA opposes the bill's attempt to eliminate voter registration through the permanent fund dividend application process. Automatic registration not only streamlines the process but also sends the message that state government is committed to the idea that voting is a right, not a privilege. He thanked the committee and restated that Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates opposes SB 167. 5:07:53 PM CHAIR SHOWER closed public testimony on SB 167 and held the bill in committee.