AK SB209

Director must provide postage-paid return envelopes for absentee ballots and establish signature verification procedures using comparison software to evaluate ballot certificates against voter registration records.

Absentee ballot applications must include an option for voters to automatically receive ballots by mail for state elections without reapplying unless the voter hasn't voted in four years or a previous ballot was returned as undeliverable.

Director must establish a free online ballot tracking system allowing voters to confirm ballot transmission, track delivery, verify receipt, check certificate review status, and determine if their ballot was counted, with notification of missing or mismatched signatures.

Voters with missing or mismatched signatures have 14 days after election day to cure the issue by submitting identification and a signature for verification; ballots may be counted if verified within this timeframe.

Prohibits election officials from rejecting ballots based solely on substitution of initials or use of common nicknames when comparing signatures, and requires signature comparison training for election officials.