House committee hears bill to allow 16‑year‑olds to preregister to vote; fiscal and security questions raised

Juneau — The Alaska House Finance Committee on April 22 heard testimony on House Bill 21, a proposal from Rep. Andy Story that would allow 16‑year‑olds to preregister to vote and would add confidentiality protections for preregistered minors. The committee heard invited testimony, reviewed two fiscal notes and then set the bill aside for further consideration.

Proponents said preregistration makes voter registration easier when young people are still in school and living with family. Rep. Andy Story, the bill sponsor, said the change aims to “increase youth civics engagement, knowledge, and interest about the voting process” and noted that Alaska’s 18‑to‑29 turnout was low in 2020.

Honor Miller Austin, staff to Rep. Story, described the bill’s mechanics in a sectional review: it would permit a person at least 16 years old to preregister (moving the statutory window from 90 days before an 18th birthday to roughly two years earlier), require the Division of Elections to send a notice by non‑forwardable mail to verify an address, and keep preregistration information for minors confidential. Miller Austin said preregistered contacts would be held in a pending status until the Division of Elections verifies the registrant.

Lem Wheelis, a U.S. government teacher at A.J. Diamond High School in Anchorage, testified in support and offered classroom examples, including a student who missed a 30‑day registration deadline and therefore could not vote in a nearby election. “If HB 21 were to pass, students like Joe would be able to register as early as age 16,” Wheelis said, adding that preregistration would let teachers cover registration while students are still in class.

State election and motor‑vehicle officials summarized expected costs and procedures. Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, told the committee: “We anticipate this would cost approximately $15,000 from the general fund every year.” Beecher’s fiscal estimate used a population estimate of 10,303 16‑year‑olds and a postage rate of $0.73, producing a calculated annual postage cost of about $15,042. The division described a verification step in which a postage‑paid return envelope would be sent to the registrant’s home; preregistration would not be completed if the envelope is not returned.

Kathleen Wallace, acting director of the Division of Motor Vehicles, said the DMV would act as the data collector when applicants opt in at the time of a license application and would electronically transfer preregistration data to the Division of Elections. Wallace described a programming estimate of up to 300 hours at $150 per hour to enable electronic submissions, a one‑time cost the DMV put at up to $45,000.

Committee members asked about several implementation and policy issues. Representative Galvin asked whether teachers explain party affiliation; Wheelis said his classes explain how parties work but do not tell students “how they should be voting,” and he described classroom projects that review party platforms. Representative Ballard and Representative Allard raised concerns about whether the change was necessary given existing registration pathways such as online registration, the DMV checkbox that already offers registration at the time of a license, and Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) data feeds for automatic registration of those who are 18 when they file.

Several members pressed election officials about data security and confidentiality. Representative Ballard referenced a prior data exposure and asked for assurances; Beecher said the Division of Elections now operates behind the state Office of Information Technology firewalls, conducts penetration testing and follows CISA recommendations, but added she could not guarantee any system is absolutely breach‑proof. Beecher also said the bill would close an existing statutory gap by ensuring contact information for preregistered persons under 18 is kept confidential; she explained that under current practice, 17‑year‑olds who preregistered could appear on registration lists.

Representative Bynum raised a legal question about whether a 16‑year‑old can meet statutory certifications on registration forms that warn false statements may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under AS 11; committee members discussed that registering and the legal responsibilities it carries are not new for many 16‑year‑olds (for example, in driving law). Other members suggested an alternate, lower‑cost approach: keeping a sequestered reminder list or sending a reminder when an individual reaches the 90‑day window before their 18th birthday rather than completing a preregistration at 16.

Committee discussion also noted national comparisons: the bill packet cites about 17 states that allow preregistration at 16 and reports incremental increases in youth participation in some jurisdictions.

No motion to advance or vote on House Bill 21 occurred; the committee “set the bill aside for now” and will take it up at a future meeting. The House Finance Committee’s next scheduled meeting was announced for April 23, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.