The Alaska Legislature adjourned its 2026 regular session on May 20 after passing two election-related bills. Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) vetoed both bills, in April and July.

One of the bills was SB 64, an omnibus bill that would have made numerous changes to Alaska’s election statutes. 

The bill would have established a cure provision for absentee ballots, required absentee ballot return envelopes to be postage-paid, required the state to implement online ballot-tracking software, and authorized identification cards issued by federally recognized tribes as an acceptable form of identification for voting and voter registration.

The Alaska House of Representatives passed the final version of the bill 23-16 on March 23, with 13 Democrats, five Republicans, one undeclared member, and four members without party affiliation voting in favor and 16 Republicans voting against. Control of the Alaska House is split among multiple parties, with 14 Democrats, five independents, and two Republicans forming the majority party caucus.

The Alaska Senate passed the bill 16-4 on March 25, with nine Democrats and seven Republicans voting in favor and four Republicans voting against.

Dunleavy vetoed the bill on April 29. The Alaska Legislature voted 38-22 to override Dunleavy's veto on May 4, falling short of the 40 votes required to override and sustaining the veto.

Sen. Bert Stedman (R), who voted to sustain the veto, said, "I think they need more time to implement [the bill]. That was it, pretty much. I think there’s a lot of good work in this bill and a lot of positive things, but it just needs a little more time."

Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk (R), who voted to override the veto, said, "If I lose an election because a little old lady in Arctic Village had to cure her ballot, and that one ballot cost me my election, so be it. Aren't we here to make sure every vote counts?"

Dunleavy also vetoed HB 16, which would have reinstated an individual-to-candidate campaign contribution limit in Alaska. The state's previous $500 individual-to-candidate campaign contribution limit was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2021.

The bill would have imposed a donation limit of $2,000 per election cycle for individuals donating to a candidate, and it would have raised the limit for groups that are not political parties from $1,000 to $4,000 per election cycle. A state commission would have been required to raise the limits every 10 years to match increases in the consumer price index. The bill would also have required donor groups to maintain a physical address within Alaska or designate a registered agent with a physical address within Alaska.

The state Senate approved HB 16 12-8 on May 19, with nine Democrats and three Republicans voting in favor and eight Republicans voting against. The state House approved the bill 21-19 on May 20, with 14 Democrats, two Republicans, one undeclared member, and four members without party affiliation voting in favor, and 19 Republicans voting against. Dunleavy vetoed the bill on July 9.

Dunleavy's veto means that Ballot Measure 1, which would establish new campaign contribution limits for campaigns for state and local offices, will appear on the Aug. 18 ballot.

Legislators enacted one election-related bill in 2025, no bills in 2024, and one bill in 2023. No other election bills were vetoed in the last three years.