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Governor Dunleavy Vetoes Bipartisan Election Reform Bill
SB 64 Would Have Strengthened Voter Rolls, Protected Military Ballots, and Delivered Faster Election Results
JUNEAU, Alaska — Today, Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed Senate Bill 64, a bipartisan election reform package nearly a decade in the making that passed the Legislature 39-20 with support from Republican, Democratic, and Nonpartisan lawmakers. The bill addressed long-standing issues in Alaska’s elections, from bloated voter rolls, rejected military ballots, slow results, and gaps in election security. Senate Bill 64 included provisions from legislation the Governor introduced himself.
"Governor Dunleavy has said, by his veto, that Alaska's elections are secure enough. Unfortunately, they are not, and even his supporters confirm that. Our voter rolls stood at 114% of the voting-age population in 2022. Ballots are being rejected over technical errors. Tampering with a voting machine is not explicitly a crime under current law. This bill addressed every one of those concerns,” said Senator Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage). “The Governor had every reason to sign it."
The loss of the opportunity for Alaskans to “cure” their ballots for minor mistakes will not only affect all Alaskans but also have a significantly greater impact on rural Alaska and our Military families. In the last election, JBER House District 18 had the most rejected absentee ballots in the state, with House Districts 21 and 19, which are home to many service members living off base, following close behind. The ballots that would have had the opportunity to “cure” would have been the most secure in Alaska because they would have been directly tied to a verified ID on file.
By his veto, Governor Dunleavy has also slowed the release of election results and reduced the transparency that Alaskans have demanded for years. The ballot review process would have started five days earlier under SB 64, and the Division of Elections would have been required to publicly disclose which ballots were counted during unofficial counts. Moving forward, Alaskans will still have to wait weeks for results.
By vetoing Senate Bill 64, Governor Dunleavy rejected:
- Ballot tracking and prepaid return postage for absentee ballots;
- Ballot curing to fix minor errors before a valid vote is discarded;
- Voter ID limited to government-issued IDs, including recognized tribal IDs;
- Voter roll cleanup;
- A rural election liaison to prevent polling failures;
- Earlier ballot review and faster certified results;
- Public disclosure of ballot counts and ballot tabulation data; and
- Cybersecurity breach notification requirements and updated election tampering statutes.
Senate Bill 64 was the product of years of good-faith negotiation between Senator Bill Wielechowski and Representative Sarah Vance, and it passed with broad bipartisan support. The Lieutenant Governor’s office, which oversees Alaska’s elections, assured the legislature that there was plenty of time to implement this bill before the upcoming election. With his veto, Governor Dunleavy has turned his back on military voters, rural communities, and the election integrity reforms he once said Alaskans deserved.
The legislature intends to take up this veto in a joint session next week to attempt an override.
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