Defending Democracy for over 106 Years!
On February 14th, the League of Women Voters celebrated its 106th anniversary. Happy birthday to the League! I’m proud to be part of an organization that has worked to defend and strengthen democracy for more than a century — carrying forward efforts that began long before the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.
As we move further into this election year, our work will shift more and more toward voter education and engagement. With major issues, competitive races, and evolving election rules, 2026 will require attention from all of us.
Steps to take: research the candidates carefully. Check your registration. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Democracy depends on our participation.
A Note on Privacy
Alaska’s Constitution explicitly recognizes a right to privacy. Article I, Section 22 states:
“The right of the people to privacy is recognized and shall not be infringed. The legislature shall implement this section.”
Why highlight this? First, we have a member whose email was hacked. That’s a reminder to all of us: don’t fall for scams, be cautious about emails or texts asking for personal information, or money, and change your passwords regularly.
More broadly, even well-intentioned systems can experience data breaches, errors, or unintended exposures. The more systems that hold your sensitive data, the greater the number of potential vulnerabilities.
Our election system is one of those systems.
That’s why safeguarding election system data is so critical. Alaska voter registration records include identifying information such as date of birth, driver’s license numbers, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and party affiliation. For that reason, any expansion of data-sharing between state and federal systems should be examined carefully. The question is not only whether a policy goal or request for data is legitimate, but also how that personal data is stored, transmitted, protected, and limited in use.
While requests for personal or confidential information can be valid, it is wise to be cautious. Whether in your own email, daily life, or in the governmental databases that store our information, the less data that is shared or duplicated, the lower the risk of misuse or fraud.
In a highly computerized environment, protecting voter confidence also means protecting voter data.
HB 21, Voter Preregistration for Minors, will be heard in the House Finance Committee on Thursday, February 26 at 1:30 p.m. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Story and co-sponsored by Reps. Galvin, Himschoot, and Fields. LWV of Alaska and the League of Women Voters of Juneau have submitted a joint letter of support. HB 21 would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote so that they are automatically added to the voter rolls when they turn 18.
The bill was heard last session in both the State Affairs and Judiciary Committees and now moves to Finance. Given the current focus on limiting and safeguarding voter data rolls, the bill may face additional questions in committee. There is no public testimony.
SB 206 – School Suicide Policies; Firearm Storage is “An Act relating to reports of harassment, intimidation, or bullying in schools; relating to parental notification of incidents of harassment, intimidation, or bullying involving students and threats of suicide by students; and establishing the firearm safe storage grant fund.” There is a public hearing for SB 206 in the Senate Health and Social Services Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 3:30 pm. LWV of Alaska has submitted a letter in support of this important bill. Public testimony is invited.
The SAVE America Act (one of three federal bills currently under consideration that would significantly change voter registration requirements) has passed the House and is now before the Senate. The Senate is split 50–50. Alaska’s senators are also split: Sen. Sullivan supports the bill; Sen. Murkowski opposes it.
Supporters describe it as a common-sense law requiring identification to restore voter confidence. But Alaska already requires identification at the polls. The real question is not whether ID is required — it is who decides what counts as valid ID and what additional documentation is required.
Under this bill, registering to vote in a federal election would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship — not just a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, as current federal law allows. That means providing documents such as a passport, a certified birth certificate, or naturalization papers.
A passport costs over $130. Certified copies of birth certificates also carry fees — especially if requested from another state. If you have changed your name, additional documents are required. For Alaskans born at home in rural communities decades ago, documentation may be incomplete or difficult to obtain.
At the polls, voters would also have to present a qualifying government-issued photo ID under federal definitions. While Alaska currently accepts multiple forms of ID, the federal standard would control federal elections and would take precedence over Alaska’s existing identification rules for those contests.
But the bill goes further.
It would require states to run voter registration data through the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE database to verify citizenship. That means transmitting voter registration information — which in Alaska includes date of birth, driver’s license numbers or the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and party affiliation — to a federal system for review. (This has already occurred in Alaska.)
It also creates increased liability for election officials who register someone later determined to be ineligible. Alaska’s Division of Elections already operates with limited staff and resources. Adding potential legal risk changes how those officials must approach routine registration decisions.
The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment, with no phase-in period. If passed close to an election, voters and election offices would have little time (and no money allocated) to adjust.
It would also complicate online registration, mail registration, and voter registration drives, since documentary proof of citizenship would have to be submitted and verified.
Voting is a constitutional right. Changes of this magnitude deserve careful scrutiny. Do your research. Here are three links to get you started:
Reuters: US House Considers New Election Restrictions
In short, this is not simply about “showing ID.” It is about shifting authority from the states to the federal government, increasing documentation requirements for voters, expanding federal access to voter registration systems, and imposing new obligations on election officials.
alaskalwv@alaskalwv.org.
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