HB0129b -1- CSHB 129(STA)
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CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 129(STA)
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY THE HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Offered: 4/28/23
Referred: Judiciary
Sponsor(s): HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to voter registration; and providing for an effective date." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 15.07.130(a) is amended to read: 3
(a) Periodically, at times of the director's choosing, but not [NO] less
4
frequently than in January of each calendar year, the director shall examine the master 5
register maintained under AS 15.07.120 and shall send, by nonforwardable mail to the 6
voter's registration mailing address, and to the voter's electronic mail address, if 7
available, a notice requesting address confirmation or correction. The notice must 8
explain that the voter's registration will be inactivated unless the voter responds 9
to the notice within 45 days after the date the notice is sent. The director shall 10
send the notice to each voter 11
(1) whose mail from the division has been returned to the division in 12
the two years immediately preceding the examination of the register; 13
(2) who has not contacted the division in the two years immediately 14
preceding the examination of the register and [; OR (3)] who has not voted or 15 33-LS0668\B
CSHB 129(STA) -2- HB0129b
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appeared to vote in the two years [GENERAL ELECTIONS] immediately preceding 1
the examination of the register; or 2
(3) who, after registering to vote in this state and in the two years 3
immediately preceding the examination of the register, has 4
(A) registered to vote in another state; 5
(B) received a driver's license from another state; 6
(C) registered a vehicle in another state; 7
(D) received public assistance in another state; 8
(E) served on a jury in another state; 9
(F) obtained a resident hunting or fishing license in another 10
state; or 11
(G) moved to a different residence, according to 12
information from the United States Postal Service national change of 13
address program. 14
* Sec. 2. AS 15.07.130(b) is amended to read: 15
(b) If a registered voter does [HAS] not respond to a notice sent under (a) of 16
this section within 45 days after the date the notice is sent, the director shall 17
inactivate the voter's registration [, WITHIN THE PRECEDING FOUR 18
CALENDAR YEARS, CONTACTED THE DIVISION AND HAS NEITHER 19
VOTED NOR APPEARED TO VOTE IN A LOCAL, REGIONAL SCHOOL 20
BOARD, PRIMARY, SPECIAL, OR GENERAL ELECTION DURING THE LAST 21
FOUR CALENDAR YEARS AND A NOTICE SENT TO THE VOTER UNDER (a) 22
OF THIS SECTION WAS RETURNED AS UNDELIVERABLE, THE VOTER 23
SHALL BE ADVISED BY A NOTICE SENT BY FORWARDABLE MAIL TO THE 24
VOTER'S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS THAT REGISTRATION WILL BE 25
INACTIVATED UNLESS THE VOTER RESPONDS TO THE NOTICE NO 26
LATER THAN 45 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE SENT UNDER 27
THIS SECTION]. The director shall maintain on the master register the name of a 28
voter whose registration is inactivated. The director shall cancel a voter's inactive 29
registration in accordance with the procedures set out in 42 U.S.C. 1973gg-6 (sec. 8, 30
National Voter Registration Act of 1993) after the second general election that occurs 31 33-LS0668\B
HB0129b -3- CSHB 129(STA)
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after the registration becomes inactive if the voter does not contact the division or vote 1
or appear to vote. 2
* Sec. 3. AS 15.07.130(d) is amended to read: 3
(d) The notice sent under (a) [(b)] of this section must include a postage 4
prepaid and pre-addressed return card on which the voter may state the voter's current 5
address. The notice must indicate 6
(1) that the voter should return the card not later than 45 days after the 7
date of the notice if the voter did not change residence; 8
(2) that failure to return the card by the 45-day deadline could result in 9
removal of the voter's name from the official registration list for a subsequent election; 10
(3) that the voter's registration will be cancelled if the voter does not 11
contact the division during, or vote or appear to vote in an election held during, the 12
period beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the last day of 13
the fourth calendar year that occurs after the date of notice; and 14
(4) how the voter can continue to be eligible to vote if the voter has 15
changed residence. 16
* Sec. 4. AS 15.07.130 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 17
(g) The division shall adopt regulations providing for regular review and 18
updates of the master register. The regulations must provide for review of the register 19
for data breaches, the number of registered voters compared to persons eligible to vote 20
in the state, and the names of deceased voters, persons convicted of a felony involving 21
moral turpitude, persons not qualified to vote under AS 15.05, and persons registered 22
to vote in another state. The regulations must specify records and databases for use in 23
reviewing the master register; the records and databases may include the United States 24
Postal Service national change of address database, an electronic registration 25
information center dedicated to improving the integrity of voter rolls and maintained 26
by a nonprofit membership organization of which the state is a member, state motor 27
vehicle records, records of the state programs of corrections, property and sales tax 28
records, records of the federal social security system, municipal assessor databases, 29
the United States Social Security Administration death index, an alien database 30
maintained by the United States Department of Homeland Security, and jury duty 31 33-LS0668\B
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records. 1
(h) The director shall adopt a best practice voter registration system to 2
improve identity matching when comparing the master register with the records and 3
databases used to review the master register. The director shall develop a written 4
maintenance schedule and guideline manual for the system and provide a report on the 5
system to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or 6
before the first day of the first regular session of each legislature and shall notify the 7
legislature that the report is available. 8
(i) The director shall, in a notice sent under (a) of this section, inform a voter 9
of the criteria to qualify as a voter and the penalties for voter misconduct. 10
* Sec. 5. AS 15.07 is amended by adding a new section to read: 11
Sec. 15.07.133. Process to cancel registration. The director shall develop a 12
process to allow a voter to cancel the voter's registration in person before an election 13
official or electronically. The director shall prominently display instructions for a 14
voter to cancel the voter's registration at each polling place. 15
* Sec. 6. This Act takes effect July 1, 2023. 16