Early Session in Alaska; Major Election Legislation in Congress
February 8, 2026 | 34th Alaska Legislature, Second Session
As the Alaska Legislature moves deeper into the session, key decisions are taking shape on the state budget, education policy, and election administration. At the same time, Congress is advancing major election legislation that could directly affect how Alaskans register and vote. Read “This Week’s Focus” (below) to see what the U.S. Congress is proposing to do to our elections. (Hint: it’s called “MEGA”).
HIGHLIGHTS
At the Alaska Legislature, the budget is in the forefront. Some of the discussions are around the Governor’s proposed ‘seasonal’ sales tax (a year-round tax, but increasing in the summer). Other discussions are focused on the increased costs — from natural disasters, decreased federal support, and years of deferred maintenance of critical systems and property. But the slim majority in the House, the threat of a governor’s veto, and the looming state elections seem to be making the legislators even more cautious.
EDUCATION
One bill, HB39 – Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, passed unanimously out of the House. This bill, termed a “Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Bill of Rights” now heads to the Senate. HB176 – University of Alaska Fees, is in 3rd reading in the House and will be coming up for a final vote next week.
SB23 Civics Education will be up for a hearing next week in Senate Finance (including public testimony). Read the sectional analysis which provides a good summary of the bill. It includes an assessment that is based on the civics portion of the naturalization examination administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship (updated in 2025).
On Monday morning, 8 am, the House and Senate Education Committees will hear testimony about Alaska’s public schools by school board members and students.
(For all of these meetings dates/times see details below.)
(For all of these meetings dates/times see details below.)
ELECTIONS
The major elections bill introduced last year — SB 64 (now CSSB 64(FIN) AM) — has been amended again to further simplify and shorten it. Provisions still included are ballot curing and ballot tracking, as well as postage-paid return envelopes for absentee ballots. The bill also includes a rural voting liaison to assist with voting issues and allows federally recognized tribal identification to be used for voting identification (removing hunting and fishing licenses from the list of acceptable IDs).
The amended version removes several items that were included in earlier drafts, including sections related to the Alaska Public Offices Commission and regulations addressing synthetic or AI-generated election content. As revised, the bill now focuses almost entirely on voter registration, voter-list maintenance, and election administration. It has been set aside with no hearing date yet scheduled.
GUN SAFETY
There are currently five bills introduced in the legislature this year centered around gun safety. One such bill, introduced by Sen. Tobin, is due for a hearing next week. SB 206 – School Suicide Policies; Firearm Storage was introduced to provide safe storage devices (such as lockboxes, cable locks) to Alaska’s school districts; allow districts to distribute these free devices to families, with priority for families of at-risk youth; and support education on the importance of secure firearm storage as a proven suicide prevention strategy. (see meeting times below)
THIS WEEK’S FOCUS
There has been increased attention in recent months to federal proposals that would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the federal law that governs how states register voters for federal elections.
In March 2025, the President issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to seek proof of U.S. citizenship as part of federal voter registration. Courts later blocked parts of that order, finding that changes of this kind must be made by Congress, not through executive action.
Since then, lawmakers have introduced legislation — including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — aimed at writing those requirements directly into federal law. Under current law, states that use the federal voter registration form cannot require documentary proof of citizenship (Supreme Court ruling). The SAVE Act seeks to amend the NVRA to require applicants to provide documentation such as a birth certificate, passport, or citizenship papers when registering to vote. A version of the SAVE Act passed the U.S. House in 2025 although it has not been ratified in the Senate.
A *NEW* bill introduced in the U.S. House on January 30, 2026, is the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA – H.R. 7300). One of its co-sponsors is Rep. Nick Begich. The bill is broadly described as a measure “to promote the integrity and improve the administration of elections for Federal office.” A full official summary has not yet been published on Congress.gov, though draft versions are circulating and still being analyzed.
The bill is lengthy and includes multiple sections addressing voter ID requirements, voter registration procedures, list maintenance, and other aspects of election administration. Reported provisions include requiring photo identification to vote and changing federal voter registration standards to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Draft language in Section 23 would prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in federal elections, creating a nationwide RCV ban if enacted.
The Senate introduced a *NEW* bill on January 29, 2026, titled “A bill to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.” The bill, S. 3752, represents the latest Senate proposal related to the original SAVE Act approach. The core proposal would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration.
Why this matters for Alaska voters
These federal proposals would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Citizenship records such as birth certificates, naturalization papers, or documents reflecting name changes take time and money to obtain. For many Alaska voters, these added requirements could make registration more difficult — including people who move frequently, have experienced name changes, were born outside Alaska, lack ready access to original documents, or face time, cost, or caregiving constraints.
At a broader level, these proposals reflect a long-standing debate about elections in a representative democracy. One approach emphasizes expanding access so that all eligible citizens can participate as easily as possible, addressing rare instances of fraud after they occur.
The other approach prioritizes stricter verification at the front end to ensure that every vote cast is unquestionably valid, even if that means placing additional requirements on voters.
LWV Alaska believes a healthy democracy depends on broad participation by eligible voters. Any effort to dissuade or disenfranchise eligible voters results in a government that no longer represents all of the people.
We encourage LWV members to stay informed as these federal proposals move forward and to consider how they could affect voters in Alaska.
Legislation Tracking/Meetings of Interest
Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026 | 1:30 PM
SB23 Civics Education (Invited & Public testimony )
Senate Finance 532 | Teleconferenced
Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026 | 3:30 PM
SB206 School Suicide Policies; Firearm Storage (Invited testimony only)
Butrovich 205 | Teleconferenced
WRAP-UP
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alaskalwv@alaskalwv.org.
alaskalwv@alaskalwv.org.
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• akleg.gov — bills, legislators, committee schedules, and documents
• AKL.tv / Gavel Alaska — live and archived legislative meetings
• alaskalwv.org/legislation — LWV Alaska’s legislative page with copies of this newsletter and more