HB0129c -1- CSHB 129(JUD)
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CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 129(JUD)
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Offered: 1/18/24
Referred: Rules
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 forwardable 6
[NONFORWARDABLE] mail to the voter's registration mailing address, and to the 7
voter's electronic mail address, if available, a notice requesting address 8
confirmation or correction. The notice must explain that the voter's registration 9
will be inactivated unless the voter responds to the notice within 45 days after the 10
date the notice is sent. The director shall 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\S
CSHB 129(JUD) -2- HB0129c
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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) served on a jury in another state; 8
(E) received benefits under a claim of residency in another 9
state, territory, or country; or 10
(F) established residence in another state, territory, or 11
country. 12
* Sec. 2. AS 15.07.130(b) is amended to read: 13
(b) If a registered voter does [HAS] not respond to a notice sent under (a) of 14
this section within 45 days after the date the notice is sent, the director shall 15
inactivate the voter's registration [, WITHIN THE PRECEDING FOUR 16
CALENDAR YEARS, CONTACTED THE DIVISION AND HAS NEITHER 17
VOTED NOR APPEARED TO VOTE IN A LOCAL, REGIONAL SCHOOL 18
BOARD, PRIMARY, SPECIAL, OR GENERAL ELECTION DURING THE LAST 19
FOUR CALENDAR YEARS AND A NOTICE SENT TO THE VOTER UNDER (a) 20
OF THIS SECTION WAS RETURNED AS UNDELIVERABLE, THE VOTER 21
SHALL BE ADVISED BY A NOTICE SENT BY FORWARDABLE MAIL TO THE 22
VOTER'S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS THAT REGISTRATION WILL BE 23
INACTIVATED UNLESS THE VOTER RESPONDS TO THE NOTICE NO 24
LATER THAN 45 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE SENT UNDER 25
THIS SECTION]. The director shall maintain on the master register the name of a 26
voter whose registration is inactivated. The director shall cancel a voter's inactive 27
registration in accordance with the procedures set out in 42 U.S.C. 1973gg-6 (sec. 8, 28
National Voter Registration Act of 1993) after the second general election that occurs 29
after the registration becomes inactive if the voter does not contact the division or vote 30
or appear to vote. 31 33-LS0668\S
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* Sec. 3. AS 15.07.130(d) is amended to read: 1
(d) The notice sent under (a) [(b)] of this section must include a postage 2
prepaid and pre-addressed return card on which the voter may state the voter's current 3
address. The notice must indicate 4
(1) that the voter should return the card not later than 45 days after the 5
date of the notice if the voter did not change residence; 6
(2) that failure to return the card by the 45-day deadline could result in 7
removal of the voter's name from the official registration list for a subsequent election; 8
(3) that the voter's registration will be cancelled if the voter does not 9
contact the division during, or vote or appear to vote in an election held during, the 10
period beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the last day of 11
the fourth calendar year that occurs after the date of notice; and 12
(4) how the voter can continue to be eligible to vote if the voter has 13
changed residence. 14
* Sec. 4. AS 15.07.130 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 15
(g) The division shall adopt regulations providing for regular review and 16
updates of the master register. The regulations must provide for review of the register 17
for data breaches, the number of registered voters compared to persons eligible to vote 18
in the state, and the names of deceased voters, persons convicted of a felony involving 19
moral turpitude, persons not qualified to vote under AS 15.05, and persons registered 20
to vote in another state. The regulations must specify records and databases for use in 21
reviewing the master register; the records and databases must include databases 22
sourced from governmental agencies outside the division, including the United States 23
Postal Service national change of address database, the database of permanent fund 24
dividend recipients, Alaska Court System databases, state motor vehicle records, 25
records of the state programs of corrections, property and sales tax records, records of 26
the federal social security system, municipal assessor databases, the United States 27
Social Security Administration death index, an alien database maintained by the 28
United States Department of Homeland Security, and jury duty records from other 29
jurisdictions. The director may compare the master register to state welfare and public 30
assistance agency databases to identify information relevant to registration to vote in
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state elections, including address changes, deaths, and citizenship status, and shall 1
review the number of voters registered at each registration address to identify 2
anomalous registration totals. 3
(h) The director shall adopt a best practice voter registration system to 4
improve identity matching when comparing the master register with the records and 5
databases used to review the master register. The director shall develop a written 6
maintenance schedule and guideline manual for the system and provide a report on the 7
system to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or 8
before the first day of the first regular session of each legislature and shall notify the 9
legislature that the report is available. 10
(i) The director shall, in a notice sent under (a) of this section, inform a voter 11
of the criteria to qualify as a voter and the penalties for voter misconduct. 12
* Sec. 5. AS 15.07 is amended by adding a new section to read: 13
Sec. 15.07.133. Process to cancel registration. The director shall develop a 14
process to allow a voter to cancel the voter's registration in person before an election 15
official or electronically. The director shall prominently display instructions for a 16
voter to cancel the voter's registration at each polling place. 17
* Sec. 6. AS 15.07.195 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 18
(e) Unless disclosure of information related to a data breach of information 19
made confidential by this section would compromise a criminal investigation, the 20
director shall, not less than 30 days after discovering the breach, publish notice of the 21
nature and severity of the breach on the division's Internet website and report the 22
details of the breach to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of 23
representatives. 24
* Sec. 7. This Act takes effect July 1, 2024. 25