The Session Is Over — But the Election Season Is Just Beginning.
Spring (and sun) finally arrived in Juneau – so apologies for the delay in getting this wrap up out to you. This is also the last legislative update for this year! Hope you have found them worthwhile.
The 34th Alaska Legislature adjourned on May 20, 2026 — right on the constitutional deadline. Lawmakers immediately moved into a special session called by the Governor, to focus on the Alaska LNG pipeline tax bill.
Over their two-year term, the 34th Legislature passed 111 bills. Governor Dunleavy vetoed 12 — at a higher rate than any governor since statehood. In addition to these full vetos, were his line item vetos on the budget including his cuts to education spending. Legislators overrode two vetoes; four override attempts failed.
THE BIG STORY: SB 64 — Elections Bill
CSSB 64(FIN) AM – Elections— Alaska’s comprehensive election reform bill — passed the Legislature on March 25 with bipartisan support, was transmitted to the Governor on April 13, and was vetoed by Governor Dunleavy on April 29. His stated reason: the ballot tracking and curing system could not be reliably implemented before the November 2026 election.
The bill would have established ballot tracking, a ballot curing process, postage-paid return envelopes for absentee ballots, and a rural voting liaison. It would also have allowed federally recognized tribal IDs for voter identification.
The Legislature attempted a veto override on May 4. Forty votes were needed; the vote was 38-22. Rep. Jeremy Bynum and Sen. Bert Stedman — two southeast Alaska Republicans who had previously voted for the bill — reversed course, providing the critical margin to sustain the veto.
This means another year without an update to Alaska’s election system. Absentee ballots with signature or witness issues were rejected in the 2024 election, including ballots from rural voters that may have been eligible for correction under a curing system. This means no prepaid absentee ballots, a witness signature is still required, and no rural voting liaison.
SB 23 – Civics Education, requires students meet a civics education standard before graduation — through a semester-long course, a civics test, or a civics-related project. It creates a “civics seal” to recognize student achievement and directs the State Board of Education to provide curriculum resources.
LWV Alaska has supported this bill throughout the session. Once it is transmitted, please contact the Governor and ask him to sign SB 23. The LWV of Alaska sent a thank you letter to Sen. Stevens for his work on this bill. We’ll send out an alert when the bill is transmitted. Here’s the contact information for the Governor:
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Online: gov.alaska.gov/contact/feedback
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Phone: (907) 465-3500
HB 28– Education: Schools, Teachers, School Board, Loan Program, includes a wide range of education-related provisions focused on teacher recruitment and retention, school district operations, and school energy costs. The bill creates a pilot student loan repayment program for teachers and certain state employees, allows retired teachers to return in limited situations, provides full reimbursement for school district energy costs subject to appropriation, and includes changes affecting correspondence programs, substitute teaching, school board eligibility, and local contribution limits for school districts. Read the full sponsor statement for HB 28 on the Alaska Legislature website for additional details on the bill’s provisions.
HB 16– Campaign Finance / Contribution Limits, passed the House 21-19 and the Senate 12-8. It would reimpose limits on individual and group donations to political candidates — limits struck down by federal courts in 2021. Alaska’s last four election cycles have operated with no contribution limits.
The bill’s legal and procedural situation is complicated. The Legislature failed to pass an effective date clause that would have set a January 1, 2027 start date, potentially placing new limits in the middle of the current election cycle and opening the door to legal challenges.
There is an additional constitutional wrinkle: a citizen-sponsored campaign finance ballot measure ( 23RCF2 – see below) is already scheduled for the August primary. If HB 16 becomes law, that ballot measure would be canceled — but if it is vetoed it will be back on the ballot in August. We are monitoring this situation closely and will update you when the Governor acts.
Important note: Most bills that passed on May 20 have not yet been transmitted to the Governor. Once a bill is transmitted, the Governor has 20 days — Sundays excluded — to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. Each bill starts its own clock on the day it arrives on his desk. We will update you as signatures and vetoes occur.
When the Legislature adjourns sine die, bills that have not passed both chambers do not carry over and must be reintroduced in a future session. Among other bills, here are a few we were following:
SB 206 – School Suicide Policies; Firearm Storage, would have created a state grant fund to provide safe firearm storage devices to school districts for families in need, and strengthened school bullying reporting and suicide prevention requirements. LWV Alaska submitted a letter of support. The bill passed committee but did not advance further. It died at adjournment.
HB 374 Base Student Allocation, would have raised the BSA by $630 per student — from $6,660 to $7,290 — representing more than $158 million in new annual education funding. Despite overwhelming public testimony in support, it stalled. Education funding was addressed partially through one-time budget money rather than a permanent BSA increase.
HB 21, Voter Preregistration for Minors, would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, to be automatically added to voter rolls at 18. It advanced further than in prior sessions but stalled in House Rules and never reached a floor vote.
Governor Dunleavy appointed John Wood — a suspended attorney — to a seat on the Alaska Judicial Council constitutionally reserved for non-attorneys. The appointment faced two lawsuits and significant public opposition.
Ahead of his scheduled confirmation hearing, Wood resigned. The House Judiciary Committee chair reported receiving over 50 written comments opposing the appointment in just the preceding two weeks. Three other Dunleavy appointees withdrew ahead of legislative confirmation votes.
Your calls, emails, and testimony mattered. This is what civic engagement looks like.
Alaska was among a minority of states that complied with a DOJ request to share confidential voter roll data — including dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia refused.
On April 22, LWV Alaska joined the ACLU of Alaska, the Alaska Black Caucus, and the Alaska Public Interest Research Group in filing suit against the Alaska Division of Elections. The case — League of Women Voters of Alaska et al. v. Dahlstrom et al. — argues the data sharing violates Alaskans’ constitutional right to privacy and risks unlawful disenfranchisement. We will keep you updated as it proceeds.
The special session on the Alaska LNG pipeline began May 21 and is ongoing.
Watch for updates on two important ballot measures this fall:
• 23RCF2 — An Act restoring campaign contribution limits for state and local elections in Alaska. The citizen-sponsored campaign finance ballot measure — which may or may not remain on the August primary ballot depending on the Governor’s action on HB 16. Stay tuned on this one!
• Ballot initiative 24ESEG — An Act to repeal the open primary and ranked choice voting system adopted by voters in 2020 — which would repeal Alaska’s Ranked Choice Voting system and open primary — will be on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. LWV Alaska opposes this initiative.
As we get closer to the election, we will definitely be sharing updates, videos, and information on how to ensure your vote counts.
In the meantime: Check your voter registration. Research the candidates. Talk to your neighbors. Democracy depends on our participation.
We value your input – Questions or feedback? Contact us at alaskalwv@alaskalwv.org.
LWV of Alaska is beginning their “Get out the Vote” efforts for this years’ midterms. Quick 30 second shorts are starting to appear on the LWV-AK YouTube page. Check them out – and don’t forget to “like” and “subscribe” to the LWV-AK YouTube page. If you subscribe to the page, you’ll be notified as new videos are posted. The more they are viewed, the more people will see them. Find us here: https://www.youtube.com/@AlaskaLWV
Concerned with Civics Education? The LWV of Alaska and the LWV of Juneau have teamed up to provide a set of quick video classes for middle school students including lesson plans and videos. Called “Alaska Students – Capitol Visits.” Find out more information (with links) on our website at: https://alaskalwv.org/education/
Committee list & emails
Testimony instructions (PDF)
Start here