Division of Elections presents governor's bill proposing residency change, end of PFD automatic registration and mailbox timing overhaul

Senate State Affairs Committee members heard Senate Bill 70 on Jan. 30 in Juneau, presented by Carol Beecher, director of the Alaska Division of Elections, with support staff from the lieutenant governor’s office and the Department of Law. The administration's bill would revise statutory residency language, end the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) automatic voter‑registration program, tighten late‑ballot receipt rules, and propose several administrative efficiencies including postage‑paid absentee returns and changes to early‑voting and REAA (regional education attendance area) schedules.

The bill is presented as an operations‑focused package: the division said its intent is to make administration clearer, reduce delays in result reporting, and improve list maintenance so that ballots are issued and counted in a timely way.

Carol Beecher told the committee the division’s mission is “to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by administering voter registration and elections with the highest level of professional standards, integrity, security, accuracy, and fairness.” She said the bill would “eliminate nebulous language from residency requirements,” remove the PFD automatic registration program created in 2016, and reduce timeframes that currently allow some ballots to arrive post‑election day.

On residency, the bill would remove the statute’s “intent to return” language from the statutory definition of residence used to determine voter eligibility. Beecher said administrators find assessing a voter’s intent to return a challenging evidentiary question, and removing the language would simplify list maintenance and better accommodate people without permanent housing.

SB 70 would also repeal the PFD‑based automatic registration process in which PFD applicants who indicate U.S. citizenship can be automatically registered unless they opt out. Beecher and other witnesses told senators the PFD program is costly to administer and yields a small number of new voters relative to program expense; opponents of repeal at the hearing warned the change could reduce registration among rural and hard‑to‑reach voters who rely on the PFD application process.

The bill would change late‑ballot rules. Under current law, civilian general‑election ballots may be received up to 10 days after the election and overseas military ballots up to 15 days; SB 70 proposes that ballots be postmarked and received on or before election day to shorten delays in final results. Beecher said the change aims to provide faster, clearer reporting when polls close; several public witnesses countered that travel and postal delays in rural Alaska may keep legitimate ballots from arriving by election day.

SB 70 would move the timing and terms for REAA school‑board elections (19 REAAs statewide), shifting them to odd‑year cycles with four‑year staggered terms; Beecher said current annual cycles create administrative burden. The bill would also expand by‑mail voting options for communities with populations of 750 or fewer and codify postage‑paid return envelopes for absentee ballots.

Other proposals in SB 70 include eliminating prescriptive specifications for voting booths that are no longer manufactured, allowing the division greater flexibility on worker compensation, expanding the days the absentee review board may begin reviewing certificates and enabling the division to adopt additional risk‑limiting audit regulations. Beecher said the division would also post more detailed data about which ballots are included in unofficial results to reduce confusion.

Committee members asked detailed questions. Senator Dan Yount said he was concerned about ending the five‑day early‑voting window before election day and asked whether there is evidence of double‑voting; Beecher said the division would provide counts and turn evidence of double voting to the Department of Law. Senator Yount also asked about the fiscal note; Beecher said the division has submitted one and materials were included in the committee packet.

Public witnesses raised operational concerns. Michelle Spark of Get Out the Native Vote said tribal IDs should be accepted as valid identification and warned that replacing PFD automatic registration with a DMV‑based process could leave many rural voters behind because DMV access is limited in many villages. Spark also cited postal staffing shortages in rural Alaska, saying “we have 76 postmaster relief worker vacancies in rural Alaska; that accounts for about 14,500 voters,” and urged caution before tightening receipt deadlines. Kendra Kloster of the Alaska Federation of Natives urged retention of prepaid postage and ballot‑curing provisions to avoid disenfranchisement of rural voters.

Division staff and sponsors said they will continue to work with lawmakers and stakeholders on timing, fiscal impacts and implementation details. The committee did not vote on SB 70; members scheduled additional hearings and asked the division for follow‑up information.