SB 43 — An Act relating to campaign finance and initiatives; relating to elections and voting; and relating to unlawful interference with voting.

32-LS0253\I32-LS0253\B CS FOR SENATE BILL NO.

43(STA)43 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION BY THESENATOR SENATEHUGHES STATEIntroduced: AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Referred:

Judiciary,1/25/21 FinanceReferred: Sponsor(s):

SENATORState HUGHESAffairs, Judiciary A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED "An Act relating to campaign finance."finance BEand ITinitiatives; ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:

relating to elections and voting;

and relating to unlawful interference with voting." BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:

AS 15.13.040(r)15.13.040(s) is amended to read:

(r)(s) Every individual, person, nongroup entity, or group that contributes more than $2,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year to an entity that made one or more independent expenditures in one or more [CANDIDATE] elections in the previous election cycle, that is making one or more independent expenditures in one or more [CANDIDATE] elections in the current election cycle, or that the contributor knows or has reason to know is likely to make independent expenditures in one or more [CANDIDATE] elections in the current election cycle shall report making the contribution or contributions on a form prescribed by the commission not later than 24 hours after the contribution that requires the contributor to report under this subsection is made.

The report must include the name, address, principalprincipaccupation, ccupation, and SB0043A -1- SB 43 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 32-LS0253\B employer of the individual filing the report and the amount of the contribution, as well as the total amount of contributions made to that entity by that individual, person, SB0043B -1- CSSB 43(STA) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 32-LS0253\I nongroup entity, or group during the calendar year.

For purposes of this subsection, the entity is SB 43 -2- SB0043A New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 32-LS0253\B required to certify and report the true source [,] and all intermediaries, if any, of the contribution [AS DEFINED BY AS 15.13.400(18)].

CSSB 43(STA) -2- SB0043B New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 32-LS0253\I * Sec.

AS 15.13.400(15)15.13.400(19) is amended to read:

(15)(19) "outside-funded entity" means an entity that makes one or more independent expenditures in one or more [CANDIDATE] elections and that, during the previous 12-month period, received more than 50 percent of its aggregate contributions from true sources, or their equivalents, who, at the time of the contribution, resided or had their principal place of business outside the state [ALASKA];[ALASKA].

SB0043B* -3-Sec. CSSB 43(STA) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

5.

AS 15.20.081 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(m) A voter who needs assistance may request assistance in marking an absentee ballot from a person who is not a candidate as defined in AS 15.13.400 or a ballot measure campaign employee, volunteer, sponsor, or circulator.

A person assisting a voter in marking an absentee ballot shall print the voter's name and the person's name and physical address on the voter's certificate on the envelope, indicating that the person assisted the voter.

The person shall sign and date the voter's certificate.

* Sec.

6.

AS 15.56.035(a) is amended to read:

(a) A person commits the crime of unlawful interference with voting in the second degree if the person (1) has an official ballot in possession outside of the voting room unless the person is an election official or other person authorized by law or local ordinance, or by the director or chief municipal elections official in a local election;

(2) makes, or knowingly has in possession, a counterfeit of an official election ballot;

(3) knowingly solicits or encourages, directly or indirectly, a registered voter who is no longer qualified to vote under AS 15.05.010, to vote in an election;

(4) as a registration official (A) knowingly refuses to register a person who is entitled to register under AS 15.07.030;

or (B) accepts a fee from an applicant applying for registration;

SB0043A -3- SB 43 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 32-LS0253\B (5) violates AS 15.20.081(a) by knowingly supplying or encouraging or assisting another person to supply to a voter an absentee ballot application form with a political party or group affiliation indicated if the voter is not already registered as affiliated with that political party or group;

(6) knowingly designs, marks, or encourages or assists another person to design or mark an absentee ballot application in a manner that suggests choice of one ballot over another as prohibited by AS 15.20.081(a);

[OR] (7) knowingly submits or encourages or assists another person to submit an absentee ballot application to an intermediary who could control or delay the submission of the application to the division of elections or who could gather data from the application form as prohibited by AS 15.20.081(a);

(8) violates AS 15.20.081(m) by knowingly assisting a voter in marking an absentee ballot and failing to (A) print the voter's name and the person's name and physical address on the voter's certificate on the envelope;

or (B) sign and date the voter's certificate;

(9) as a candidate as defined in AS 15.13.400 or a ballot measure campaign employee, volunteer, sponsor, or circulator, knowingly assists a voter in marking an absentee ballot;

or (10) knowingly possesses a ballot for a statewide election that was mailed to another person, unless that person is (A) an election official engaged in official duties as authorized by law;

(B) an employee of the United States Postal Service engaged in official duties as authorized by law;

(C) another individual allowed by law to collect and transmit United States mail, while engaged in official duties as authorized by law;

or (D) a family member, household member, or caregiver of the registered voter to whom the ballot was mailed.

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7.

AS 15.56.035 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: