The measure drew support from both Republicans and Democrats.
Updated: 15 minutes agoThe entrance to the Senate Chamber at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Feb. 26, 2024. , sending it to the desk of Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The measure is the result of years of negotiations between lawmakers and includes priorities of both Democrats and Republicans.
If it becomes law, it will create a ballot curing process that allows voters to fix minor mistakes on their ballots that would otherwise cause them to be disqualified. Creating such a process has been a priority for members of the bipartisan majority caucuses in the House and Senate. The bill also would allow the Division of Elections to more easily remove inactive voters from the state’s rolls, a change Republicans have long been demanding. The Senate voted 16-4 to approve changes to the bill made in the House, with two minority members joining all majority members to support the bill.the House earlier this week in a 23-16 vote, with three minority members joining all present majority members.an earlier version of the bill last year in a 14-6 vote. Two Republican minority members — Sen. Rob Yundt of Wasilla and Sen. Mike Cronk of Tok — voted against the bill last year, then voted in favor of it on Wednesday.Yundt said the House amendments to the bill made it “a significantly different piece of legislation.” The final version of the bill removed several priorities of majority lawmakers in an effort to win bipartisan support, including the elimination of required witness signatures on absentee ballots.Here are some of the other changes included in the bill:• It adds tribal IDs to the list of acceptable identification for voting. It removes hunting and fishing licenses, bank statements, utility bills, paychecks and other government documents as acceptable identification for voting. • It speeds up the process of removing inactive voters from the list, including by adding indicators of residency in another state to the list of factors that trigger a cleanup notice from the Division of Elections. • It requires the Division of Elections to add regulations for reviewing the voter register and to hire a national expert to provide recommendations for improvement. • It requires the Permanent Fund Division to share data with the Division of Elections to improve voter roll accuracy.• It creates a new rural community liaison position in the Division of Elections to improve voter access in rural Alaska.• It requires all by-mail ballots to be received 10 days after the election, instead of 15, in order to be counted. • It facilitates faster election results by allowing the Division of Elections to begin ballot review 12 days before Election Day, five days earlier than currently allowed, to ensure that more ballots are counted on Election Day.• It requires that the Legislature be notified of data breaches.• It updates the definition of the crime of unlawful interference with an election and election misconduct.Daily News reporter Mari Kanagy contributed from Juneau.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Doctors association wants Alabama Legislature to allow more emergency allergy treatment in schoolsMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
Alaska legislators advance stopgap spending bill intended to address construction and disastersThe Alaska Legislature is preparing to re-vote on a key spending bill that will cover millions of dollars in disaster response and construction projects in the current fiscal year
Read more »
Alaska Legislature on track to pass election reform bill after years of failed attemptsThe bill would create a ballot curing process and make it easier to remove inactive voters from Alaska’s rolls, among other provisions.
Read more »
Juneau tops 200 inches of snow, with ongoing warmer weather spreading across AlaskaToday's Alaska weather forecast from Alaska's Weather Source.
Read more »
6 days to go: what we can expect to see from the Alabama legislatureAlabama lawmakers are on their spring recess, but starting March 31, they will make their way back to Montgomery to finish out the 2026 legislative session.
Read more »
California mayors call on legislature to restore funds aimed at ending homelessnessThe mayors were in Sacramento Wednesday asking lawmakers to put $1 billion dollars back into the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program.
Read more »