ELECTIONS

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HOUSE BILL NO. 390

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR

Introduced: 5/7/26
Referred: State Affairs, Judiciary, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to elections; relating to voters; relating to voting; relating to voter 1
registration; relating to election administration; relating to campaign contributions; 2
relating to write -in candidates for President and Vice -President of the United States; 3
relating to the crimes of unlawful interference with voting in the first degree, unlawful 4
interference with an election, and election official misconduct; relating to voter 5
registration on permanent fund dividend applications; relating to the duties of the 6
commissioner of revenue; and providing for an effective date." 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 8
* Section 1. AS 15.07.060(c) is amended to read: 9
(c) Each applicant who requests registration in person before a registration 10
official shall exhibit one form of identification to the official, including a driver's 11
license, state identification card, current and valid photo identification, birth 12
certificate, passport, or identification card issued by a federally recognized tribe 13
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[HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE]. A registration official who knows the identity 1
of the applicant may waive the identification requirement. 2
* Sec. 2. AS 15.07.060(e) is amended to read: 3
(e) For an applicant requesting initial registration by mail, by facsimile or 4
other electronic transmission approved by the director under AS 15.07.050, or by 5
completing a permanent fund dividend application, the director shall verify the 6
information provided in compliance with (a)(2) and (3) of this section through state 7
agency records described in AS 15.07.055(e). If the applicant cannot comply with the 8
requirement of (a)(2) of this section because the applicant has not been issued any of 9
the listed numbers, the applicant may instead submit a copy of one of the following 10
forms of identification: a driver's license, state identification card, current and valid 11
photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or identification card issued by a 12
federally recognized tribe [HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE]. 13
* Sec. 3. AS 15.07.070 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 14
(n) The division may use information provided by the Department of Revenue 15
under AS 43.23.015 and 43.23.101 only to register a voter and conduct voter roll 16
maintenance. Except as provided in AS 15.07.195(c), the division may not disclose 17
confidential information obtained from the Department of Revenue. 18
(o) The division, in cooperation with the Department of Revenue, shall submit 19
an annual report to the governor and to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the 20
house of representatives on or before the first day of each regular session of the 21
legislature and notify the legislature that the report is available. The report shall detail 22
(1) the number of permanent fund dividend applicant records shared 23
with the division during the previous year; 24
(2) the effect that shared permanent fund dividend applications had on 25
voter roll maintenance under (n) of this section and on election integrity; and 26
(3) security measures taken to protect voter information. 27
(p) In this section, "voter roll maintenance" includes confirming the residency 28
of a registered voter, identifying duplicate registrations, detecting voters who have 29
moved, and detecting voters who are ineligible to vote under AS 15.05. 30
* Sec. 4. AS 15.07.130(a) is amended to read: 31
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(a) Periodically, at times of the director's choosing, but not [NO] less 1
frequently than in January of each calendar year, the director shall examine the master 2
register maintained under AS 15.07.120 and shall send, by forwardable 3
[NONFORWARDABLE] mail to the voter's registration mailing address, and to the 4
voter's electronic mail address, if available, a notice requesting address 5
confirmation or correction. The notice must explain that the voter's registration 6
will be inactivated unless the voter responds to the notice within 45 days after the 7
date the notice is sent. The director shall send the notice to each voter 8
(1) whose mail from the division has been returned to the division in 9
the two years immediately preceding the examination of the register; 10
(2) who has not contacted the division in the two years immediately 11
preceding the examination of the register and [; OR (3)] who has not voted or 12
appeared to vote in the 28 months [TWO GENERAL ELECTIONS] immediately 13
preceding the examination of the register; or 14
(3) who the division has learned has, after registering to vote in 15
this state and during the 28 months immediately preceding the examination of 16
the register, 17
(A) registered to vote in another state; 18
(B) received a driver's license from another state; 19
(C) registered a vehicle in another state; 20
(D) received public assistance from another state; 21
(E) served on a jury in another state; 22
(F) received a homestead or residential property tax 23
exemption in another state; or 24
(G) received a benefit available only to residents of another 25
state. 26
* Sec. 5. AS 15.07.130(b) is amended to read: 27
(b) If a registered voter does [HAS] not respond to a notice sent under (a) of 28
this section within 45 days after the date the notice is sent, the director shall 29
inactivate the voter's registration [, WITHIN THE PRECEDING FOUR 30
CALENDAR YEARS, CONTACTED THE DIVISION AND HAS NEITHER 31
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VOTED NOR APPEARED TO VOTE IN A LOCAL, REGIONAL SCHOOL 1
BOARD, PRIMARY, SPECIAL, OR GENERAL ELECTION DURING THE LAST 2
FOUR CALENDAR YEARS AND A NOTICE SENT TO THE VOTER UNDER (a) 3
OF THIS SECTION WAS RETURNED AS UNDELIVERABLE, THE VOTER 4
SHALL BE ADVISED BY A NOTICE SENT BY FORWARDABLE MAIL TO THE 5
VOTER'S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS THAT REGISTRATION WILL BE 6
INACTIVATED UNLESS THE VOTER RESPONDS TO THE NOTICE NO 7
LATER THAN 45 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE SENT UNDER 8
THIS SECTION]. The director shall maintain on the master register the name of a 9
voter whose registration is inactivated. The director shall cancel a voter's inactive 10
registration in accordance with the procedures set out in 52 U.S.C. 20507 [42 U.S.C. 11
1973gg-6 (SEC. 8, NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT OF 1993)] after the 12
second general election that occurs after the registration becomes inactive if the voter 13
does not contact the division or vote or appear to vote. 14
* Sec. 6. AS 15.07.130(d) is amended to read: 15
(d) The notice sent under (a) [(b)] of this section must include a postage 16
prepaid and pre-addressed return card on which the voter may state the voter's current 17
address. The notice must indicate 18
(1) that the voter should return the card not later than 45 days after the 19
date of the notice if the voter did not change residence; 20
(2) that failure to return the card by the 45-day deadline could result in 21
removal of the voter's name from the official registration list for a subsequent election; 22
(3) that the voter's registration will be cancelled if the voter does not 23
contact the division during, or vote or appear to vote in an election held during, the 24
period beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the last day of 25
the 34th month [FOURTH CALENDAR YEAR] that occurs after the date of notice; 26
and 27
(4) how the voter can continue to be eligible to vote if the voter has 28
changed residence. 29
* Sec. 7. AS 15.07.130(f) is amended to read: 30
(f) For the purpose of this section, a voter "contacts" the division if the voter 31
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notifies the division of a change of address, responds to a notice sent under this 1
section, signs a petition for a ballot measure, requests a new voter registration card, or 2
otherwise communicates with the division other than to vote or register to vote. An 3
individual does not "contact" the division by applying for a permanent fund 4
dividend, unless the application for a permanent fund dividend is the voter's 5
initial registration. 6
* Sec. 8. AS 15.07.130 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 7
(g) The division shall adopt regulations to review voter registration records 8
and update the master register. The regulations must include reviews for deceased 9
voters, persons convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude, persons not qualified 10
to vote under AS 15.05, persons registered to vote in another state, whether the 11
number of registered voters on the master register exceeds the number of eligible 12
voters in the state, and voter registration information data breaches. In conducting 13
these reviews, the division shall, to the extent possible, gather and examine available 14
data from other states and information from the United States Postal Service 15
forwarding databases, one or more systems for verifying citizenship, motor vehicle 16
records, Department of Corrections records, property and sales tax records, United 17
States Social Security Administration databases, jury duty records, National Change of 18
Address records, and similar records. The division shall also review evidence that a 19
person has undertaken the following activities in another state: 20
(1) registered to vote; 21
(2) obtained a driver's license; 22
(3) registered a vehicle; 23
(4) received public assistance; 24
(5) served on a jury; or 25
(6) received a benefit available only to residents of another state. 26
(h) In performing its review under (g) of this section, the division may not 27
transmit information made confidential under AS 15.07.195 to a person, 28
nongovernmental organization, or government agency outside the division unless 29
(1) the information is encrypted; and 30
(2) the person, nongovernmental organization, or government agency 31
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receiving the information 1
(A) uses the information only to assist the division in carrying 2
out (g) of this section; 3
(B) agrees that the person, nongovernmental organization, or 4
government agency will not retain the information after assisting the division; 5
and 6
(C) agrees that the person, nongovernmental organization, or 7
government agency will not transmit the information to another person, 8
nongovernmental organization, government agency, or other entity. 9
(i) The division shall, in consultation with an external, nationally recognized 10
subject-matter expert selected by the division, annually audit the master register. The 11
division shall consider the subject-matter expert's recommendations. By April 1 of 12
each year, the division shall publish a report describing the most recent audit and 13
accounting for the criteria reviewed under (g) of this section. The report must include 14
the expert's recommendations, identify protocols used under (g) of this section, 15
provide election information, including the number of voters on the master register 16
and the total population eligible to vote, and highlight voting data problems, 17
irregularities, errors, and vulnerabilities identified in the audit. The division shall 18
submit the report to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of 19
representatives and notify the legislature that the report is available on or before the 20
date the report is published. 21
(j) If the division reasonably determines that a voter is away from the state for 22
a reason permissible under AS 15.05.011 or another state or federal law related to 23
voting in elections, the division is not required to send a notice to the voter under 24
(a)(3) of this section. 25
(k) In addition to a notice or response required under this section, at any time 26
the division may contact a voter to obtain or a voter may contact the division to 27
provide information to determine the voter's residence. 28
* Sec. 9. AS 15.07.195 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 29
(e) The director shall publish on the division's Internet website notice of the 30
nature and severity of a data breach of information made confidential by this section 31
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and report the details of the breach to the president of the senate and the speaker of the 1
house of representatives 2
(1) before the day of an election, if the data breach happens or is 3
discovered within 14 days before an election; 4
(2) before certifying the results of an election, if the data breach 5
happens or is discovered on or after the day of the election but before certification of 6
the election results; or 7
(3) within 30 days after the data breach, if the data breach happens or 8
is discovered 14 or more days before an election or after the certification of the 9
election results. 10
(f) Notwithstanding (e) of this section, the director may delay publishing 11
notice of a data breach if a law enforcement agency investigating the data breach 12
informs the director that disclosure of the data breach would compromise an ongoing 13
investigation into the data breach. 14
* Sec. 10. AS 15.10.105 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 15
(c) The director shall employ a rural community liaison. The rural community 16
liaison shall collaborate with tribes and municipalities to facilitate access in rural areas 17
of the state to absentee voting and, where it is available, early voting and ensure that 18
precincts in rural areas of the state are adequately staffed. 19
* Sec. 11. AS 15.13.400(19) is amended to read: 20
(19) "true source" means, 21
(A) for a contribution made for the purpose of influencing a 22
ballot proposition or question, the person or legal entity that makes the 23
contribution or independent expenditure to support or oppose the 24
proposition or question; or 25
(B) for a contribution made for the purpose of influencing 26
the nomination or election of a candidate, 27
(i) the person or legal entity whose contribution is 28
funded from wages, investment income, inheritance, or revenue 29
generated from selling goods or services; 30
(ii) a person or legal entity who derives [DERIVED] 31
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funds via contributions, donations, dues, or gifts is not the true source 1
[,] but is [RATHER] an intermediary for the true source except that, 2
for a contribution from [; NOTWITHSTANDING THE 3
FOREGOING, TO THE EXTENT] a membership organization that 4
receives dues or contributions of less than $2,000 per person per year, 5
the organization itself is [SHALL BE CONSIDERED] the true source. 6
* Sec. 12. AS 15.15.030 is amended to read: 7
Sec. 15.15.030. Preparation of official ballot. The director shall prepare all 8
official ballots to facilitate fairness, simplicity, and clarity in the voting procedure, to 9
reflect most accurately the intent of the voter, and to expedite the administration of 10
elections. The following directives shall be followed when applicable: 11
(1) The director shall determine the size of the ballot, the type of print, 12
necessary additional instruction notes to voters, and other similar matters of form not 13
provided by law. 14
(2) The director shall number ballots in series to ensure simplicity and 15
secrecy and to prevent fraud. 16
(3) The director shall contract for the preparation of ballots under 17
AS 36.30 (State Procurement Code). 18
(4) The director may not include on the ballot, as a part of a candidate's 19
name, any honorary or assumed title or prefix but may include in the candidate's name 20
any nickname or familiar form of a proper name of the candidate. 21
(5) The names of the candidates shall be placed in separate sections on 22
the state general election ballot under the office designation to which they were 23
nominated. If a candidate is registered as affiliated with a political party or political 24
group, the party affiliation, if any, may be designated after the name of the candidate, 25
upon request of the candidate. If a candidate has requested designation as nonpartisan 26
or undeclared, that designation shall be placed after the name of the candidate. If a 27
candidate is not registered as affiliated with a political party or political group and has 28
not requested to be designated as nonpartisan or undeclared, the candidate shall be 29
designated as undeclared. The lieutenant governor and the governor shall be included 30
under the same section. Provision shall be made for voting for write-in candidates 31
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within each section. Paper ballots for the state general election shall be printed on 1
white paper. 2
(6) The names of the candidates for each office shall be set out in the 3
same order on ballots printed for use in each house district. The director shall 4
randomly determine the order of the names of the candidates for state representative 5
for each house district. The director shall rotate the order of placement of the names of 6
candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, United States senator, United States 7
representative, and state senator on the ballot for each house district. 8
(7) The general election ballot shall be designed with the names of 9
candidates of each political party, and of any independent candidates qualified under 10
AS 15.30.026, for the office of President and Vice-President of the United States 11
placed in the same section on the ballot rather than the names of electors of President 12
and Vice-President. Provision shall be made for voting for write-in candidates for 13
President and Vice-President. 14
(8) The general or special election ballot shall be designed with the 15
title and proposition for any initiative, referendum, or constitutional amendment 16
formulated as prescribed by law and placed on the ballot in the manner prescribed by 17
the director. When placed on the ballot, a state ballot proposition or ballot question 18
shall carry the number that was assigned to the petition for the proposition or question. 19
Provision shall be made for marking the proposition "Yes" or "No." 20
(9) The general or special election ballot shall be designed with the 21
question of whether a constitutional convention shall be called placed on the ballot in 22
the following manner: "Shall there be a constitutional convention?" Provision shall be 23
made for marking the question "Yes" or "No." 24
(10) A nonpartisan ballot shall be designed for each judicial district in 25
which a justice or judge is seeking retention in office. The ballot shall be divided into 26
four parts. Each part must bear a heading indicating the court to which the candidate is 27
seeking approval, and provision shall be made for marking each question "Yes" or 28
"No." Within each part, the question of whether the justice or judge shall be approved 29
or rejected shall be set out in substantially the following manner: 30
(A) "Shall ....... be retained as justice of the supreme court for 31
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10 years?"; 1
(B) "Shall ....... be retained as judge of the court of appeals for 2
eight years?"; 3
(C) "Shall ....... be retained as judge of the superior court for six 4
years?"; or 5
(D) "Shall ....... be retained as judge of the district court for four 6
years?" 7
(11) When the legislature by law authorizes a state debt for capital 8
improvements, the director shall place the question of whether the specific 9
authorization shall be ratified by placing the ballot title and question on the next 10
general election ballot, or on the special election ballot if a special election is held for 11
the purpose of ratifying the state debt for capital improvements before the time of the 12
next general election. Unless specifically provided otherwise in the Act authorizing 13
the debt, the ballot title shall, by the use of a few words in a succinct manner, indicate 14
the general subject of the Act. The question shall, by the use of a few sentences in a 15
succinct manner, give a true and impartial summary of the Act authorizing the state 16
debt. The question of whether state debt shall be contracted shall be assigned a letter 17
of the alphabet on the ballot. Provision shall be made for marking the question 18
substantially as follows: 19
"Bonds....... Yes" or "Bonds....... No," 20
followed by an appropriate oval. 21
(12) The director may provide for the optical scanning of ballots where 22
the requisite equipment is available. 23
(13) The director may provide for voting by use of electronically 24
generated ballots by a voter who requests to use a machine that produces electronically 25
generated ballots. 26
(14) The director shall include the following statement on the ballot: 27
A candidate's designated affiliation does not imply that 28
the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the political 29
party or group or that the party or group approves of or 30
associates with that candidate, but only that the 31
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candidate is registered as affiliated with the political 1
party or political group. 2
(15) Instead of the statement provided by (14) of this section, when 3
candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States appear on a general 4
election ballot, the director shall include the following statement on the ballot: 5
A candidate's designated affiliation does not imply that 6
the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the political 7
party or political group or that the political party or 8
political group approves of or associates with that 9
candidate, but only that the candidate is registered as 10
affiliated with the party or group. The election for 11
President and Vice-President of the United States is 12
different. Some candidates for President and Vice-13
President are the official nominees of their political 14
party. 15
(16) The director shall design the general election ballots so that the 16
candidates are selected by ranked-choice voting. 17
(17) The director shall design the general election ballot to direct the 18
voter to mark candidates in order of preference and to mark as many choices as the 19
voter wishes, but not to assign the same ranking to more than one candidate for the 20
same office. 21
* Sec. 13. AS 15.15.060(a) is amended to read: 22
(a) Immediately following the appointment of the election board, the election 23
supervisor in conjunction with the election board chair shall secure polling places for 24
holding the election, suitable ballot boxes that will ensure [ASSURE] security, and an 25
adequate number of voting booths or screens, national flags, pens, and pencils. At 26
every polling place, at least one voting booth shall be furnished and not less than one 27
voting booth or screen shall be furnished for each 100 votes or fractional part of 100 28
votes cast in the previous election. [AT EVERY POLLING PLACE, AT LEAST 29
ONE-HALF OF THE VOTING BOOTHS USED SHALL BE NOT LESS THAN SIX 30
FEET IN HEIGHT, ENCLOSED ON THREE SIDES, AND PROVIDED WITH A 31
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CURTAIN EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE VOTING BOOTH TO 1
WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 30 INCHES OF THE FLOOR. THE CURTAIN OF 2
THE VOTING BOOTH MUST CONCEAL THE VOTER WHILE VOTING.] The 3
election supervisor and the election board chair may, in an emergency, secure an 4
alternate location for a polling place. 5
* Sec. 14. AS 15.15.060(b) is amended to read: 6
(b) To ensure [ASSURE] administrative economy and to protect the secrecy 7
of the ballot, the director may adopt regulations prescribing 8
(1) the type of polling place for holding the election; 9
(2) the requirements regarding ballot boxes, voting screens, national 10
flags, and other supplies; and 11
(3) [SUBJECT TO THE SPECIFICATIONS OF (a) OF THIS 12
SECTION,] the requirements regarding voting booths. 13
* Sec. 15. AS 15.15.225(a) is amended to read: 14
(a) Before being allowed to vote, each voter shall exhibit to an election official 15
one form of identification, including 16
[(1)] an official voter registration card, driver's license, state 17
identification card, current and valid photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or 18
identification card issued by a federally recognized tribe [HUNTING OR 19
FISHING LICENSE; OR 20
(2) AN ORIGINAL OR A COPY OF A CURRENT UTILITY BILL, 21
BANK STATEMENT, PAYCHECK, GOVERNMENT CHECK, OR OTHER 22
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT; AN ITEM EXHIBITED UNDER THIS 23
PARAGRAPH MUST SHOW THE NAME AND CURRENT ADDRESS OF THE 24
VOTER]. 25
* Sec. 16. AS 15.15.360(d) is amended to read: 26
(d) Write-in votes shall be counted according to the following rules: 27
(1) writing in the name of a candidate whose name is printed on the 28
ballot does not invalidate a write-in vote unless the director determines, on the basis of 29
other evidence, that the ballot was so marked for the purpose of identifying the ballot; 30
(2) in order to vote for a write-in candidate, the voter must write in the 31
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candidate's name in the space provided and fill in the oval opposite the candidate's 1
name in accordance with (a)(1) of this section; 2
(3) a vote for a write-in candidate, other than a write-in vote for 3
governor and lieutenant governor or for President and Vice-President of the United 4
States, shall be counted if the oval is filled in for that candidate and if the name of the 5
candidate, as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the last name of 6
the candidate is written in the space provided; 7
(4) if the write-in vote is for governor and lieutenant governor, the vote 8
shall be counted if the oval is filled in and the names of the candidates for governor 9
and lieutenant governor, as they appear on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the 10
last names of the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, or the name of the 11
candidate for governor, as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy, or the 12
last name of the candidate for governor is written in the space provided; 13
(5) if the write-in vote is for President and Vice-President of the 14
United States, the vote shall be counted if the oval is filled in and the names of the 15
candidates for President and Vice-President, as they appear on the write-in 16
declaration of candidacy, or the last names of the candidates for President and 17
Vice-President, or the name of the candidate for President, as it appears on the 18
write-in declaration of candidacy, or the last name of the candidate for President, 19
is written in the space provided; 20
(6) in counting votes for a write-in candidate, the director shall 21
disregard any abbreviation, misspelling, or other minor variation in the form of the 22
name of a candidate if the intention of the voter can be ascertained. 23
* Sec. 17. AS 15.15.370 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 24
(b) Each day that the director releases unofficial totals of election results for a 25
general election, the director shall also 26
(1) release an updated tabulation; 27
(2) identify the precincts that have been counted; 28
(3) identify the days on which absentee ballots have been logged and 29
counted, including a summary of the count codes used on ballots in each district each 30
day; 31
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(4) identify the districts in which early votes were cast and the days on 1
which votes were cast in each district; and 2
(5) identify the precincts and count codes of questioned ballots that 3
have been counted. 4
(c) Each day that an absentee ballot is reviewed under AS 15.20.201 or a 5
questioned ballot is reviewed under AS 15.20.207, the director shall display on the 6
division's Internet website an updated unofficial total detailing the number of absentee 7
ballots and questioned ballots counted for each count code. 8
(d) In this section, "count code" means a code assigned to a ballot by the 9
division that designates the races in which the ballot is to be counted during a district 10
absentee ballot counting review conducted under AS 15.20.203 or a district questioned 11
ballot review conducted under AS 15.20.207. 12
* Sec. 18. AS 15.15.380 is amended to read: 13
Sec. 15.15.380. Payment of election board members. The director shall pay 14
each election board member for time spent at election duties, including the receiving 15
of instructions. Election board chairpersons and the chairperson and members of the 16
absentee ballot, questioned ballot, and state ballot counting review boards shall be 17
paid for time spent at their election duties. The director shall set the compensation to 18
be paid under this section [BY REGULATION]. 19
* Sec. 19. AS 15.20.030 is amended to read: 20
Sec. 15.20.030. Preparation of ballots, envelopes, and other material. The 21
director shall provide ballots for use as absentee ballots in all districts. The director 22
shall provide a secrecy sleeve in which the voter shall initially place the marked ballot 23
[,] and shall provide a postage-paid return [AN] envelope with the prescribed voter's 24
certificate on it, in which the secrecy sleeve with ballot enclosed shall be placed. The 25
director shall prescribe the form of and prepare the voter's certificate, envelopes, and 26
other material used in absentee voting. The voter's certificate shall include a 27
declaration, for use when required, that the voter is a qualified voter in all respects, a 28
blank for the voter's signature, a certification that the affiant properly executed the 29
marking of the ballot and gave the voter's identity, blanks for the attesting official or 30
witness, and a place for recording the date the envelope was sealed and witnessed. The 31
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envelope with the voter's certificate may not identify a voter's party affiliation but 1
must include a notice that false statements made by the voter or by the attesting 2
official or witness on the certificate are punishable by law. 3
* Sec. 20. AS 15.20.081(f) is amended to read: 4
(f) The director shall require a voter casting an absentee ballot by mail to 5
provide proof of identification or other information to aid in the establishment of the 6
voter's identity as prescribed by regulations adopted under AS 44.62 (Administrative 7
Procedure Act). If the voter is a first-time voter who initially registered by mail or by 8
facsimile or other electronic transmission approved by the director under 9
AS 15.07.050 and has not met the identification requirements set out in AS 15.07.060, 10
the voter must provide one of the following forms of proof of identification: 11
[(1)] a copy of a driver's license, state identification card, current and 12
valid photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or identification card issued by 13
a federally recognized tribe [HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE; OR 14
(2) A COPY OF A CURRENT UTILITY BILL, BANK 15
STATEMENT, PAYCHECK, GOVERNMENT CHECK, OR OTHER 16
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT; AN ITEM PROVIDED UNDER THIS 17
PARAGRAPH MUST SHOW THE NAME AND CURRENT ADDRESS OF THE 18
VOTER]. 19
* Sec. 21. AS 15.20.081(h) is amended to read: 20
(h) Except as provided in AS 15.20.480, an absentee ballot returned by mail 21
from outside the United States or from an overseas voter qualifying under 22
AS 15.05.011 that has been marked and mailed not later than election day may not be 23
counted unless the ballot is received by the election supervisor not later than the close 24
of business on the 25
[(1)] 10th day following the [A PRIMARY] election [OR SPECIAL 26
PRIMARY ELECTION UNDER AS 15.40.140; OR 27
(2) 15TH DAY FOLLOWING A GENERAL ELECTION OR 28
SPECIAL ELECTION, OTHER THAN A SPECIAL PRIMARY ELECTION 29
DESCRIBED IN (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION]. 30
* Sec. 22. AS 15.20.170 is amended to read: 31
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Sec. 15.20.170. Disposition of ballots. Each absentee voting official shall 1
transmit the dated envelopes containing the marked ballots by the most expeditious 2
mail service to the election supervisor for the district. Upon receipt of the absentee 3
ballots, the election supervisor shall stamp on the envelope the date on which the 4
ballot is received. In this section, "mail service" includes delivery by optical 5
scanning and electronic transmission. 6
* Sec. 23. AS 15.20.201(a) is amended to read: 7
(a) Not [NO] less than 12 [SEVEN] days preceding the day of election, the 8
election supervisor, in the presence and with the assistance of the district absentee 9
ballot counting board, shall review all voter certificates of absentee ballots received by 10
that date. The review of absentee ballots shall continue at times designated by the 11
election supervisor until completed. 12
* Sec. 24. AS 15.20.203(a) is amended to read: 13
(a) The district absentee ballot counting board shall examine each absentee 14
ballot envelope and shall determine whether the absentee voter is qualified to vote at 15
the election, whether the signature on the certificate is consistent with the voter's 16
signature in voter registration records, and whether the absentee ballot has been 17
properly cast. 18
* Sec. 25. AS 15.20.203(b) is amended to read: 19
(b) An absentee ballot may not be counted if 20
(1) the voter has failed to properly execute the certificate; 21
(2) an official or the witnesses authorized by law to attest the voter's 22
certificate fail to execute the certificate, except that an absentee ballot cast in person 23
and accepted by an absentee voting official or election supervisor may be counted 24
despite failure of the absentee voting official or election supervisor to properly sign 25
and date the voter's certificate as attesting official as required under AS 15.20.061(c); 26
(3) the ballot is not attested on or before the date of the election; 27
(4) the ballot, if postmarked, is not postmarked on or before the date of 28
the election; 29
(5) after the day of election, the ballot was delivered by a means other 30
than mail; or 31
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(6) the voter voted 1
(A) in person and is a 2
(i) first-time voter who initially registered by mail or by 3
facsimile or other electronic transmission approved by the director 4
under AS 15.07.050, has not provided the identification required by 5
AS 15.15.225(a), was not eligible for waiver of the identification 6
requirement under AS 15.15.225(b), and has not provided the 7
identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and (3) that can be verified 8
through state agency records described in AS 15.07.055(e); or 9
(ii) voter other than one described in (i) of this 10
subparagraph, did not provide identification described in 11
AS 15.15.225(a), was not personally known by the election official, 12
and has not provided the identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and 13
(3); or 14
(B) by mail or electronic transmission, is a first-time voter who 15
initially registered by mail or by facsimile or other electronic transmission 16
approved by the director under AS 15.07.050 to vote, has not met the 17
identification requirements set out in AS 15.07.060, and does not submit with 18
the ballot a copy of a 19
[(i)] driver's license, state identification card, current 20
and valid photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or 21
identification card issued by a federally recognized tribe 22
[HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE; OR 23
(ii) CURRENT UTILITY BILL, BANK 24
STATEMENT, PAYCHECK, GOVERNMENT CHECK, OR OTHER 25
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT; AN ITEM DESCRIBED IN THIS 26
SUB-SUBPARAGRAPH MUST SHOW THE NAME AND 27
CURRENT ADDRESS OF THE VOTER]. 28
* Sec. 26. AS 15.20.203(b), as amended by sec. 25 of this Act, is amended to read: 29
(b) An absentee ballot may not be counted if 30
(1) the voter has failed to properly execute the certificate; 31
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(2) an official or the witnesses authorized by law to attest the voter's 1
certificate fail to execute the certificate, except that an absentee ballot cast in person 2
and accepted by an absentee voting official or election supervisor may be counted 3
despite failure of the absentee voting official or election supervisor to properly sign 4
and date the voter's certificate as attesting official as required under AS 15.20.061(c); 5
(3) the ballot is not attested on or before the date of the election; 6
(4) the ballot, if postmarked, is not postmarked on or before the date of 7
the election; 8
(5) after the day of election, the ballot was delivered by a means other 9
than mail; [OR] 10
(6) the voter voted 11
(A) in person and is a 12
(i) first-time voter who initially registered by mail or by 13
facsimile or other electronic transmission approved by the director 14
under AS 15.07.050, has not provided the identification required by 15
AS 15.15.225(a), was not eligible for waiver of the identification 16
requirement under AS 15.15.225(b), and has not provided the 17
identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and (3) that can be verified 18
through state agency records described in AS 15.07.055(e); or 19
(ii) voter other than one described in (i) of this 20
subparagraph, did not provide identification described in 21
AS 15.15.225(a), was not personally known by the election official, 22
and has not provided the identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and 23
(3); or 24
(B) by mail or electronic transmission, is a first-time voter who 25
initially registered by mail or by facsimile or other electronic transmission 26
approved by the director under AS 15.07.050 to vote, has not met the 27
identification requirements set out in AS 15.07.060, and does not submit with 28
the ballot a copy of a driver's license, state identification card, current and 29
valid photo identification, birth certificate, passport, or identification card 30
issued by a federally recognized tribe; or 31
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(7) the signature on the certificate is inconsistent with the voter's 1
signature in voter registration records. 2
* Sec. 27. AS 15.20.203 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 3
(k) The district absentee counting board shall determine whether a voter's 4
signature on the certificate is consistent with the voter's signature in voter registration 5
records under (a) of this section using a signature verification process that includes 6
signature comparison software, according to a procedure provided in regulations 7
adopted by the director. 8
* Sec. 28. AS 15.20.207(b) is amended to read: 9
(b) A questioned ballot may not be counted if the voter 10
(1) has failed to properly execute the certificate; 11
(2) is a first-time voter who initially registered by mail or by facsimile 12
or other electronic transmission approved by the director under AS 15.07.050, has not 13
provided the identification required by AS 15.15.225(a) or 52 U.S.C. 21083(b)(2)(A), 14
was not eligible for waiver of the identification requirement under AS 15.15.225(b), 15
and has not provided the identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) and (3) that can be 16
verified through state agency records described in AS 15.07.055(e); or 17
(3) is a voter other than one described in (2) of this subsection, did not 18
provide identification described in AS 15.15.225(a), was not personally known by the 19
election official, and has not provided the identifiers required in AS 15.07.060(a)(2) 20
and (3). 21
* Sec. 29. AS 15.20.220(b) is amended to read: 22
(b) The state review board shall review and count absentee ballots under 23
AS 15.20.081(e) and (h), absentee ballots properly cured under AS 15.20.222(c), 24
and questioned ballots that have been forwarded to the director and that have not been 25
reviewed or counted by a district counting board. 26
* Sec. 30. AS 15.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 27
Sec. 15.20.221. Ballot-tracking system. (a) The director shall establish an 28
online ballot-tracking system. If the director procures the system from a third party, 29
the third party must be a corporation that is incorporated in the United States. The 30
system must be designed to allow a voter to easily use the system through a mobile 31
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electronic device. The system must allow a voter to 1
(1) confirm that the voter's ballot has been sent by the division; 2
(2) track the date of the ballot's delivery to the voter; 3
(3) confirm the division's receipt of the voter's ballot; 4
(4) determine whether the voter's ballot has been counted; and 5
(5) provide the information necessary to cure a rejected ballot. 6
(b) The online ballot-tracking system must 7
(1) use multi-factor authentication to verify a voter's identity; and 8
(2) indicate to a voter 9
(A) the process by which the voter may cure the lack of 10
signature or verify the voter's identity, if the signature on the voter's ballot was 11
missing; and 12
(B) the reason the voter's ballot was not counted, if the ballot 13
was not counted. 14
(c) The division may not charge a voter a fee to use the online ballot-tracking 15
system. 16
* Sec. 31. AS 15.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 17
Sec. 15.20.222. Procedure for curing uncounted ballot. (a) If a voter returns 18
a ballot and the voter does not have a signature stored in voter registration records, the 19
certificate is missing the voter's signature, or the voter's signature on the certificate is 20
determined under AS 15.20.203 to not match the signature in voter registration 21
records, the director shall, within 48 hours, but in no event later than two days after 22
election day, send a notification by first class, non -forwardable mail to the address 23
indicated in the voter's registration record and, if provided, by electronic mail to the 24
voter's electronic mail address or by telephone call or text message to the voter's 25
telephone number. 26
(b) The notification provided to the voter under (a) of this section must 27
include an explanation of the need for a signature for verification purposes and 28
provide the voter a form and instructions for the voter to, within the period specified in 29
(c)(1) of this section, 30
(1) confirm that the voter returned a ballot to the division; 31
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(2) provide a copy of a form of identification accepted by the division 1
under AS 15.07.060(e); and 2
(3) provide a signature for verification. 3
(c) A voter's ballot that is not counted for a reason set out in (a) of this section 4
may be counted only if 5
(1) the division receives the form sent to the voter under (b) of this 6
section from the voter within 14 days after election day and the form confirms that the 7
voter returned a ballot to the division; 8
(2) the voter provides a signature for verification and includes a copy 9
of a form of identification accepted by the division under AS 15.07.060(e); and 10
(3) the ballot is otherwise valid. 11
(d) A voter's ballot may not be counted and the director shall, if applicable, 12
send copies of the signature on the voter's return envelope and the signature stored in 13
voter registration records to the attorney general for investigation if 14
(1) the voter returns the form received under (b) of this section and the 15
form indicates that the voter did not return a ballot to the division; or 16
(2) the voter does not return the form received under (b) of this section 17
within 14 days after election day. 18
(e) An election official may not determine that the signature on a voter's return 19
envelope does not match the signature stored in the voter's registration record solely 20
based on substitution of initials or use of a common nickname. 21
(f) The director shall provide training in signature comparison and the use of 22
signature comparison software to election officials who compare signatures under this 23
section. 24
(g) The division shall update the signature stored in voter registration records 25
if the voter, after providing a copy of a form of identification accepted by the division 26
under AS 15.07.060(e), either provides a signature for the voter's missing signature or 27
cures a nonmatching signature under this section. 28
* Sec. 32. AS 15.25.105 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 29
(d) A write-in candidate running for the office of President of the United 30
States must file a letter with the director certifying the information required under 31
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AS 15.30.026(b). 1
* Sec. 33. AS 15.56.030(d) is amended to read: 2
(d) For purposes of (a)(2) and (3) of this section, "other valuable thing" 3
(1) includes 4
(A) an entry in a game of chance in which a prize of money or 5
other present or future pecuniary gain or advantage may be awarded to a 6
participant wherein the total of the prizes offered is greater than $2 per 7
participant with a maximum of $100; and 8
(B) government employment or benefits; 9
(2) does not include 10
(A) materials having a nominal value bearing the name, 11
likeness, or other identification of a candidate, political party, political group, 12
party district committee, or organization, or stating a position on a ballot 13
proposition or question; 14
(B) food and refreshments provided incidental to an activity 15
that is nonpartisan in nature and directed at encouraging persons to vote, or 16
incidental to a gathering in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political 17
party, political group, party district committee, organization, or ballot question 18
or proposition; 19
(C) care of the voter's dependents provided in connection with 20
the absence of a voter from home for the purpose of voting; 21
(D) services provided by a person acting as a representative 22
under AS 15.20.072; 23
(E) services provided by an election official as defined in 24
AS 15.80.010; [AND] 25
(F) transportation of a voter to or from the polls without 26
charge; and 27
(G) postage-paid return envelopes required in 28
AS 15.20.030. 29
* Sec. 34. AS 15.56.060(a) is amended to read: 30
(a) A person commits the crime of unlawful interference with an election if 31
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the person 1
(1) induces or attempts to induce an election official to fail in the 2
official's duty by force, threat, intimidation, or offers of reward; 3
(2) intentionally changes, attempts to change, or causes to be changed 4
an official election document including ballots, tallies, and returns; 5
(3) intentionally delays, attempts to delay, or causes to be delayed the 6
sending of the certificate, register, ballots, or other materials whether original or 7
duplicate, required to be sent by AS 15.15.370; [OR] 8
(4) is contracted or employed by the state to print or reproduce in any 9
manner an official ballot, and the person knowingly 10
(A) personally appropriates, or gives or delivers to, or permits 11
to be taken by anyone other than a person authorized by the director, official 12
ballots; or 13
(B) prints or reproduces or has printed or reproduced official 14
ballots in a form or with a content other than that prescribed by law or as 15
directed by the director; 16
(5) intentionally opens or tampers with a signed absentee ballot 17
certificate, sealed absentee ballot envelope, or package of ballots without express 18
authorization from the director; or 19
(6) intentionally breaches, hacks, alters, or tampers with election 20
machinery, including a tabulator, a program, a system, a server, or software used 21
to verify identity, count or tabulate, or manage or control an election function. 22
* Sec. 35. AS 15.56.070(a) is amended to read: 23
(a) A person commits the crime of election official misconduct in the first 24
degree if, while an election official, the person 25
(1) intentionally fails to perform an election duty or knowingly does an 26
unauthorized act with the intent to affect an election or its results; 27
(2) knowingly permits or makes or attempts to make a false count of 28
election returns; [OR] 29
(3) intentionally conceals, withholds, destroys, or attempts to conceal, 30
withhold, or destroy election returns; or 31
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(4) knowingly discloses, shares, or reports to a person who is not 1
an election official election results, returns, or any confidential election data 2
before the polls close on election day. 3
* Sec. 36. AS 43.23.101 is amended to read: 4
Sec. 43.23.101. Voter registration. Each month, the [THE] commissioner 5
shall [ESTABLISH BY RULE A SCHEDULE BY WHICH THE COMMISSIONER 6
WILL PROVIDE, AND SHALL] provide [AS SOON AS IS PRACTICABLE] the 7
director of elections with the following information for each permanent fund 8
dividend applicant: 9
(1) the electronic record [RECORDS FROM THE PERMANENT 10
FUND DIVIDEND APPLICATIONS] of the information required by 11
AS 15.07.060(a)(1) - (4) and (7) - (9) [,] and the attestation that the [SUCH] 12
information is true [,] for each permanent fund dividend applicant who 13
(A) is a citizen of the United States; and 14
(B) is at least 18 years of age or will be within 90 days of the 15
date of the application; [AND] 16
(2) the applicant's mailing address; and 17
(3) whether the applicant has claimed residency in another state 18
[ADDRESSES FOR ALL PERMANENT FUND DIVIDEND APPLICANTS]. 19
* Sec. 37. AS 43.23.101 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 20
(b) The commissioner shall develop security protocols that ensure data 21
required to be stored or transferred under this section is securely stored or transferred. 22
(c) In cooperation with the division of elections under AS 15.07.070(o), the 23
commissioner shall submit an annual report to the governor and to the senate secretary 24
and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or before the first day of each 25
regular session of the legislature and notify the legislature that the report is available. 26
* Sec. 38. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 27
read: 28
REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. The division of elections shall provide a report 29
to the legislature by the first day of the First Regular Session of the Thirty-Fifth Alaska State 30
Legislature recommending options for expanding early voting in rural communities and low-31
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income neighborhoods. The division shall deliver the report to the senate secretary and the 1
chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature that the report is 2
available. In this section, 3
(1) "low-income neighborhood" means a neighborhood where the median 4
family income is below 80 percent of the statewide median family income; 5
(2) "rural community" means a community with a population of 7,500 or less 6
that is not connected by road or rail to Anchorage or Fairbanks or a community with a 7
population of 3,500 or less that is connected by road or rail to Anchorage or Fairbanks. 8
* Sec. 39. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 9
read: 10
APPLICABILITY. AS 15.56.030(d), as amended by sec. 3 3 of this Act, 11
AS 15.56.060(a), as amended by sec. 34 of this Act, and AS 15.56.070(a), as amended by sec. 12
35 of this Act, apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of secs. 33 - 35 of 13
this Act. 14
* Sec. 40. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 15
read: 16
TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The division of elections may adopt regulations 17
necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. The regulations take effect under 18
AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but not before the effective date of the law 19
implemented by the regulation. 20
* Sec. 41. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 21
read: 22
TRANSITION: PROCUREMENT. The division of elections may, under AS 36.30 23
(State Procurement Code), procure equipment, supplies, services, and professional services 24
necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. 25
* Sec. 42. Section 11 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2027. 26
* Sec. 43. Sections 24, 26, 27, and 29 - 31 of this Act take effect June 1, 2027. 27
* Sec. 44. Except as provided in secs. 42 and 43 of this Act, this Act takes effect 28
immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 29