Session: State Capitol, Room 102 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Toll Free: (877) 465-3719 Phone: (907) 465-3719 Fax: (907) 465-3258 Personal Web Site: www.johncoghill.com Interim: 119 N Cushman Street, Suite 211 Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: (907) 456-5081 Fax: (907) 456-8245

Sponsor Statement for HB 109
Voting in Person by Absentee Ballot

An Act relating to failure by an election official to execute the voter's certificate on an absentee ballot or by a person authorized by law to execute the voter's certificate on a questioned ballot.

While all elections are important, people turn out in large numbers for borough mayoral races and the general elections during presidential elections. This can result in fast paced processing of questioned and absentee ballots, which can result in human error while processing ballots.

Election workers are very conscientious, under paid citizens who are put under tremendous stress during popular elections that result in high turnout. It does not happen often, but because of the high turnouts there have been a couple of instances when Alaskan citizens have received a letter from the Division of Elections informing them that their ballot was not counted because the questioned or absentee ballot was not filled out properly.

One such incident occurred when a resident of the Badger Road area went out of precinct to vote last fall. He voted a questioned ballot at the North Pole City Hall. Several weeks later he got a letter from the Division of Elections apologizing that his vote was not counted because an official or the witness authorized by law failed to attest the voter's certificate. In other words, the election worker failed to sign the certificate on the questioned envelope.

The same would be true if a person voted absentee at an election office and the election official failed to execute the certificate.

I believe that the right to vote is a fundamental right that should not be diminished by an accidental failure to complete a form of an election official. For that reason I have introduced HB 109 which removes language that would invalidate a ballot because of an error of an election official.

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