The Alaska Senate has passed Senate Bill 64, a bipartisan election reform package designed to improve the integrity, security, and accessibility of Alaska’s voting system.
SB 64, crafted with input from Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and Governor Mike Dunleavy, is being hailed as the most comprehensive update to state election law in more than a decade. The bill includes provisions to clean up outdated voter rolls, implement cybersecurity protections, ban misleading political deepfakes, and improve ballot access—particularly for military and rural voters.
“Every Alaskan deserves the peace of mind that our elections are secure, and that their vote will be counted,” said Senate Rules Committee Chair Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage. “This bill will deliver that peace of mind by protecting Alaskans against cyber threats, cleaning up outdated voter rolls, and ensuring faster, more transparent election results.”
Among the major changes, SB 64 repeals the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots, which has led to high rejection rates among military and rural voters. It also creates a ballot curing process that allows voters to fix errors on their absentee ballots before they are thrown out.
To modernize and secure Alaska’s elections, the bill mandates annual independent reviews of the state’s voter rolls, enhances cross-checking with PFD data, and directs the lieutenant governor to establish cybersecurity standards for the election system. Public reporting of election data breaches and expanded post-election audits are also required.
SB 64 is expected to speed up vote counting by allowing officials to begin reviewing absentee ballots 12 days before Election Day instead of seven, and requires ranked choice voting tabulations to be included in unofficial election night results. A uniform 10-day deadline for absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day will also help accelerate certification timelines.
The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives, where it is scheduled for a hearing in the House Finance Committee on Wednesday. If approved and signed into law, the reforms would take effect for the 2026 election cycle.
