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Senator: election‑reform bill passed Senate, aims to cut ballot rejections in rural and military populations
Summary
Senator Wilikowski said a bipartisan election‑reform bill that passed the Senate is in the House and would address ballot rejections, poll‑worker shortages and counting delays, with the goal of having reforms in place for the next statewide election.
Juneau — A bipartisan election‑reform package that already passed the Senate is awaiting action in the House and is intended to reduce ballot rejections and streamline counting, a Senate member said Friday.
"This bill has passed the Senate, and it is in the House," Senator Wilikowski said. He listed problems the bill targets, including voter rolls that appear larger than the adult population in some counts, a high rate of ballots rejected in some rural communities and military ballots tossed for technical reasons. He also said many ballot rejections in assisted living were the result of poll‑worker error.
Wilikowski said the package aims to be bipartisan and nonpartisan and that the hope is to pass it early so changes are in place for elections next year.
What happens next: The bill remains in the House Finance Committee; Senate leaders said they are treating election reform as a priority and will work with House members to move it forward.
