STAND. COM. REP. NO. 576-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2635
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 2635 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow for vote casting
positions on the ballot to either precede or follow the
candidate's name as it appears on the ballot, depending on the
requirements of the voting system in use.

     The Office of Elections testified in support of the bill.

     Your Committee finds that current state law requires vote
casting positions on the ballot to be placed immediately after
all the names of the candidates for office, on the right side of
the ballot.  This bill allows for vote casting positions to be
either to the left of (before) or to the right of (after) the
candidate's name depending on the requirements of the voting
system.  This measure will allow flexibility in the placement of
the vote casting position based upon the needs of the voting
system in use.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical,
nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 576-00
                                 Page 2

 
purpose of H.B. No. 2635, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No.
2635, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair