Hailing a bipartisan approach to election reform, the legislature moved swiftly after the governor vetoed bipartisan legislation to overhaul Alaska’s election system, and despite hopes from the majority, they failed to override the veto.
JUNEAU, Alaska - Hailing a bipartisan approach to election reform, the legislature moved swiftly after the governor vetoed legislation to overhaul Alaska’s election system, but despite “Extremely disappointing,” House Speaker Bryce Edgmon told Alaska’s News Source, walking out of the vote.
The legislature voted 38-22 to override the veto, falling two short of the required 40-vote threshold. The coalition for the bill lost two lawmakers who previously voted to pass it: Majority Caucus member Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, and Minority Caucus member Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan.
Bynum told reporters after the vote that he opposed it due to concerns about implementation, and that the division of elections said the timeline was too aggressive to implement the policies.
“Today, my vote is not on whether I believe in many of the elements of the bill,” he said outside the speaker’s chamber. “What told me today is that the timeline is too aggressive to effectively put this into law. ” Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, was the only minority member to oppose the override that spoke o.
A spokesperson for Gov. Mike Dunleavy, R-Alaska, said he will comment on the override in an Anchorage press conference Monday afternoon. The conference is intended to discuss updates on bills “While the Alaska gasline bill is the most important bill this session, I am open to a conversation with lawmakers on how we can address the legal and operational issues this session,” Dunleavy said in the news release announcing the veto.
With 16 days left in the session, Edgmon said there was little hope of passing more election reform initiatives this session. To pass a bill, lawmakers need a simple majority.
However, when the governor vetoes a bill, the threshold rises. Lawmakers needed 40 votes to override this veto; two-thirds of a joint session. Votes remained even until it initially passed the chambers; lawmakers had 39 votes, including members of the minority.
“Going forward, I encourage those who wish to continue this work to use this bill as a starting point to ensure that any proposed changes comply with state and federal law and pass any election legislation on a timeline that allows the Division of Elections to develop, test, and implement the necessary systems properly,” Dunleavy said in aSB 64, in the amended version the House pushed and the Senate adopted, had a host of updates and changes to the current election law.
Creates a ballot tracking system so voters can follow their absentee ballots through the counting processEstablishes a ballot curing process, allowing voters to correct minor errors that might otherwise disqualify their ballotCreates a rural community liaison within the Division of Elections to support poll worker recruitment and election operations in rural Alaska Improves voter roll maintenance by adding new indicators that a voter may have established residency in another stateRequires absentee ballots to be received within 10 days of an election, allowing ballot review to begin earlier and certification to happen up to five days soonerRequires the state to develop a cybersecurity program and notify the public in the event of a data breach involving election systems4-year-old girl dies after grandmother allegedly forced her to drink more than half a bottle of whiskey, police sayProsecutors: Woman stabbed boyfriend to death for bringing dinner home instead of taking her outAlaska House advances bills aimed at regulating standards, conditions for caregivers Acting AG says he’s still ‘learning’ about Alaska privacy rights after assisting in release of voter rollsAlaska Legislature approves bill to revive public pension system, now headed to Dunleavy’s desk
Elections Bill Veto Governor Mike Dunleavy Bryce Edgmon Bert Stedman Jeremy Bynum
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