Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) has until the end of the day on April 30 to either sign or veto Senate Bill 64, or else it will go into law.

SB 64 is the controversial elections bill that passed the Senate last May 14-6 on caucus lines. It passed the House 23-16 on March 23. The Senate then concurred with the House’s changes 16-4 on March 25. Senators Rob Yundt (R – Wasilla) and Mike Cronk (R – Tok) both voted no in May but yes on concurrence. 

The bill was transmitted to Dunleavy on April 13.

Dunleavy has been quiet about his intentions, but it’s likely he will veto the bill. Most Republicans disklike the bill for a variety of reasons including expanded absentee voting and how curing can be done for absentee ballots. But there are also some provisions in the bill that have been supported by Republicans, including Dunleavy, in the past. 

Some Republicans, including conservative Representatives Sarah Vance (R – Homer) and Kevin McCabe (R – Big Lake), support the bill. This has created a rift between Republicans. On April 15, Vance posted a fiery video to Facebook attacking conservative writer Suzanne Downing, saying Downing made misogynistic attacks against and told lies about her. It’s a wild video! 

The bill passed with a total of 39 votes, but Representative Ashley Carrick (D – Fairbanks), who is a yes vote, was absent for the vote. So she makes 40. Interestingly, it would take 40 votes to override a veto of the bill.

Senator Bill Wielechowski (D – Anchorage) introduced the bill through the Senate Rules Committee. Both majorities and five Republicans in the minorities voted for the bill.

If Dunleavy vetoes the bill, he will effectively blow up the end of session. A joint session will be called to take up a veto override. McCabe, Vance, Representative Jeremy Bynum (R – Ketchikan), Yundt, and Cronk (R – Tok) – the five minority Republicans who voted for the bill – will be lobbied hard by both sides. If just one of them votes no on a veto override, the veto will hold.

A veto will anger legislative leadership, who have spent the last two sessions on the bill and several previous sessions on similar bills. With less than three weeks left in session, things could get very messy if Dunleavy vetoes the bill.

The House just concurred with the Senate’s changes to the controversial pension bill. Dunleavy is trying hard to get his gasline bill passed. The operating and capital budgets are subject to all kinds of potential vetoes from Dunleavy. And there are several other bills floating around that various members want passed.

A sustained veto will seriously piss off legislative leadership. And a veto override will seriously piss off Dunleavy. Either way, it will blow up the remainder of the session. On the other hand, if Dunleavy lets the bill go into law, a kind of détente could be achieved – leaving room for negotiations on the major outstanding issues.