STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1671

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 208
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which
was referred S.C.R. No. 208 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE
     REFERENCE BUREAU TO COMPARE HAWAII'S ELECTION SYSTEM WITH
     THAT OF OTHER STATES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request a
study comparing Hawaii's election system with that of other
states.

     Your Committees find that Hawaii's election system has been
the subject of a great deal of controversy and scrutiny due to
changes in the 1998 election vote tally system and closely
contested races in many precincts.  Your Committees further find
that aspects of Hawaii's election laws and system need to be
improved, in order to facilitate voter confidence and
participation in our election system.

     Testimony in support of this concurrent resolution was
submitted by the Office of Elections. 

     Upon further consideration, your Committees have amended
this concurrent resolution by:

     (1)  Inserting a clause delineating the outcome of the
          machine recount held in March 1999;


 
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     (2)  Inserting additional election-related issues to be
          studied including voter registration information,
          ballot access, election contests and challenges,
          election tallying systems, and administration of
          special elections;

     (3)  Requesting the President of the Senate and the Speaker
          of the House of Representatives to appoint an Elections
          Review Task Force to review and make recommendations
          regarding changes to Hawaii's election laws and system;

     (4)  Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to submit a
          report of findings and recommendations to the Task
          Force by November 15, 1999; and

     (5)  Making technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to
this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose
of S.C.R. No. 208, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption
in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 208, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Judiciary and
                                   Ways and Means,



____________________________       ______________________________
Carol Fukunaga, Co-Chair           Avery B. Chumbley, Co-Chair



____________________________       ______________________________
Andrew Levin, Co-Chair             Matthew M. Matsunaga, Co-Chair

 
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