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Legislature Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve Election Integrity, Increase Transparency, and Expand Access Across Alaska
Juneau, Alaska — Today, the Alaska State Legislature passed Senate Bill 64, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to improve election integrity, increase transparency, and expand access to voting for Alaskans across the state. The Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, sponsored the legislation. SB 64 makes targeted updates to Alaska’s election system to ensure votes are counted accurately, efficiently, and securely, while maintaining public confidence in the process.
“We are raising the standard for elections in Alaska,” said Sen. Wielechowski. “SB 64 makes it easier for eligible voters to participate and harder for errors or misconduct to undermine the process. This protects both access and the integrity of every vote.”
“Modernizing our elections to ensure every eligible Alaskan can cast their ballot—and have it count—has been a top priority of mine and our coalition,” said House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham. “I am profoundly grateful for the bipartisan collaboration that has defined this process. With the passage of SB 64, we are proving that we can protect the integrity of our elections while making them more accessible for voters.”
The legislation establishes a ballot curing process, allowing voters to correct minor errors that might otherwise result in their ballots being rejected, and creates a ballot tracking system so voters can follow their absentee ballots from mailing throughout the process. It also adds tribal IDs to the list of acceptable voter identification and creates a rural community liaison within the Division of Elections to improve outreach and access in rural Alaska.
SB 64 strengthens election integrity by improving voter roll maintenance, streamlining the process for removing ineligible voters, and adding additional indicators of a voter establishing residency in another state, to trigger review. The bill also directs the Division of Elections to adopt updated regulations and work with a nationally recognized expert to improve voter registration systems, and it updates statutes related to unlawful interference with an election and election official misconduct.
To provide faster and more transparent election results, the bill requires absentee ballots to be received within 10 days of an election, allows ballot review to begin earlier, and enables certification of election results up to five days sooner. It also requires clearer public reporting on which ballots have been counted in unofficial results.
The legislation includes additional updates to modernize election administration, including provisions requested by the Division of Elections to repeal outdated requirements, allow certain documents to be submitted electronically, and provide flexibility in setting poll worker pay. It also requires notification to the Legislature and the public in the event of data breaches involving election systems.
“Alaskans deserve elections that are both secure and trustworthy,” said Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer. “SB 64 builds on bipartisan ideas to clean up outdated processes, protect against threats like cyberattacks and misinformation, and ensure every valid vote is counted. This is a significant step toward restoring full confidence in our democratic process.”
“This bill is proof that we can still work together on the issues that matter most,” said Sen. Wielechowski. “SB 64 reflects a bipartisan commitment to strengthening our elections and restoring confidence for all Alaskans.”
SB 64 will now head back to the Senate for concurrence with the House changes, then on to the Governor for his signature.
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