Republican opposition kills bill intended to fix Alaska's absentee voting problems
A major elections reform bill, a priority of House and Senate leaders, is dead in the Alaska Legislature.
Wednesday is the last day of the regular legislative session, and members of the House’s multipartisan majority said on Saturday that they lack the support needed to overcome the opposition of the House’s Republican minority in the time they have left.
Bills don’t expire at the end of the first year of the two-year legislative session, but Senate Bill 64 needed to become law this year in order to be implemented in time for the 2026 election.
Among the changes in the bill: Speedier ballot counting, better tracking of absentee ballots, ballot dropboxes across the state, free return postage for absentee ballots, a liaison to help fix voting issues in rural Alaska, permanent absentee ballot registration, a method to fix paperwork problems after an absentee ballot is cast, the elimination of the requirement that a “witness” sign a voter’s absentee ballot, and additional security audits.
https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/05/17/republican-opposition-kills-bill-intended-to-fix-alaskas-absentee-voting-problems/