HB 43 Alaska House · 34th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relating to elections; relating to voters; relating to the crime of unlawful interference with voting; and providing for an effective date.

HB 43 amends Alaska's voter registration rules to require individuals registering within 30 days of an election to submit an affidavit verifying 30-day residency in both Alaska and their voting district, along with proof of address (like a utility bill or government document). This affects voters registering close to an election who must now provide additional documentation to qualify for an absentee, in-person, or special needs ballot. The bill changes deadlines for processing registration forms and limits same-day registrants to specific ballot types rather than standard voting. It directly impacts voters seeking to register late, adding verification steps for residency and address before they can cast a regular ballot.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action May 14, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB 43 → CSHB 43(STA) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from a House Bill to a Senate Committee Substitute, shifting sponsorship to the House State Affairs Committee and adding the Alaska Public Offices Commission and public official financial disclosures to the bill's scope. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a new section defining voter residence rules, which clarifies how residency is established and lost, and a new requirement for voters registering near an election to declare their residency status. The bill also expanded language access provisions to allow applicants to request ballots in specific languages.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include the Alaska Public Offices Commission and public official financial disclosures, in addition to elections and voter registration.

SCOPE

Added the Alaska Public Offices Commission and public official financial disclosures to the list of topics covered by the bill.

DEFINITION

Added a new section (Sec. 2) that defines how a voter's residence is determined, including rules for temporary absences, military service, and the requirement of an intent to return.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for applicants registering within 30 days of an election to submit a declaration stating whether they established residency at least 30 days prior.

Added provisions allowing voters to request election materials and ballots in their preferred language from a list of languages required by federal law.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the effective date and sponsorship information, changing the bill from an original House introduction to a Senate Committee Substitute offered by the House State Affairs Committee.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 14, 2025

Committee

(H) REFERRED TO FINANCE

lower

May 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Moved CSHB 43(STA) Out of Committee

lower

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors