Year2021-2022
TierBottom Tier
View Scorecard for Year
Grade TL;DR
Alaska has not passed any substantial election-related legislation over the past two years. Although the Legislature attempted to pass bipartisan-supported election reforms, time ran out before legislation could be passed. Due to the lack of movement, Alaska received a B on this year’s progress report.
Looking Back
Where Alaska Started in 2020
- Automatic Voter Registration: Back-End
- Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
- Same-Day Registration: Yes (presidential race only)
- Restoration of Rights: Parole and/or Probation Disenfranchisement
- Vote by Mail: No-Excuse
- Electronic Registration Information Center Member: Yes
- Early Voting Opportunities: In-Person Absentee/Regular
- Ballot Early Voting
- ID Requirements: ID Requested, but not Required
Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for Alaska as of 2020, we considered the state a bottom tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2021-22 activity against other bottom tier states.
How Our Tier Compares:
2021: Two Years Ago
Legislative Action
The Alaska Legislature did not pass any election-related laws during the 2021 session.
2022: This Past Year
Legislative Action
- The Alaska Legislature did not pass any election-related laws during the 2022 session. Lack of meaningful progress on election reforms in 2021, made it seem as though passage of a compromise omnibus election reform bill could have been possible in 2022. Though a compromise election bill was drafted, unfortunately, time ran out on the session before the legislation could be passed. Here’s what the bill included:
- Improved list maintenance procedures
- Watermarks or other identifiers on ballots
- Expansion of same-day registration beyond presidential elections
- Chain of custody procedures for mail ballots
- Postage prepaid envelopes for mail ballots
- Ballot tracking and cure procedures for mail ballots
- Risk-limiting audit procedures for elections
- Use of open-source technology for elections