REPORT TITLE:
Elections; Absentee Ballots


DESCRIPTION:
Amends the absentee voting law to allow only voters who were sent
an absentee ballot on election day to drop off their absentee
ballot at a polling place.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            1463        
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO THE RETURN AND RECEIPT OF SPECIAL CASE ABSENTEE
   BALLOTS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the original intent
 
 2 of the absentee voting law was to provide a means for election
 
 3 officials to handle ballots provided to voters in special cases.
 
 4 Over the years, however, there has been an increased abuse of
 
 5 this law by voters who request ballots, sometimes as much as
 
 6 sixty days prior to the election, and turn the ballots in at the
 
 7 polling place in spite of having had the ballots for that period
 
 8 of time and free mail back privileges.
 
 9      The consequence is that final election results are delayed
 
10 by as much as three hours because of special handling required to
 
11 process and tabulate these ballots.  These ballots have
 
12 historically been the last ballots to be processed on election
 
13 night and delay the printing of the final result.
 
14      Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to limit the number
 
15 of absentee ballots dropped off at the precincts by allowing drop
 
16 off at polls to only those special exceptions made by the clerk,
 
17 i.e., emergencies, on election day.  Voters who bring their
 
18 absentee ballots to the precinct would be required to vote upon a
 
19 normal precinct ballot.
 

 
Page 2                                         1463        
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 2.  Section 15-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
 3      "(a)  The return envelope shall be:
 
 4      (1)  Mailed and must be received by the clerk issuing the
 
 5           absentee ballot not later than the closing of the polls
 
 6           on any election day;
 
 7      (2)  Delivered other than by mail to the clerk issuing the
 
 8           absentee ballot, or another election official
 
 9           designated by the clerk to act on the clerk's behalf,
 
10           not later than the closing of polls on any election
 
11           day; or
 
12      (3)  Delivered other than by mail in special cases pursuant
 
13           to section 15-4 to any polling place within the county
 
14           in which the voter is registered and receives an
 
15           absentee ballot on election day in special cases
 
16           pursuant to section 15-4, and a representative of an
 
17           incapacitated voter pursuant to section 15-5(a).  The
 
18           ballot shall be deposited by a precinct official on
 
19           receipt in the ballot box before the closing of the
 
20           polls on any election day."
 
21      SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Page 3                                         1463        
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
 2 
 
 3                              INTRODUCED BY:______________________