Anchorage voters could update ballot signatures with the clerk under proposed ordinance

A proposed election ordinance would let Anchorage voters file an updated signature with the clerk's office, Municipal Clerk Jamie Heinz told the Assembly Governance Committee on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Ballots are now checked against signatures the state provides each year from voter registration forms, other election records and the DMV. A voter who broke a hand or had arm surgery, for example, could file a new signature after proving their identity, though the state's own file would still need separate updating, Heinz said. Rejecting ballots because signatures don't match is "one of the most hated" parts of the job, she said.

Assembly Members Donald Handeland of Chugiak-Eagle River and Sydney Scout of North Anchorage sponsored the ordinance. It would also:

• cut the required full-page newspaper election notices from two to one, with the money saved or redirected to earlier outreach

• let only Anchorage residents challenge a candidate's qualifications

• turn off the election center livestream once the election is certified, unless a recount is demanded. Heinz said a 2024 deadline change left viewers "watching nothing happen at the election center for an extra 9 days."

• make an election observer liaison optional. Heinz said liaisons were rarely called in, and her core team answers observers' questions. Assembly Member Zac Johnson of South Anchorage asked how that would work if many observers showed up.

A retitled version of the ordinance comes before the Assembly Oct. 20, ahead of a public hearing set for Nov. 4.