STAND. COM. REP. NO. 701

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1712

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1712 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to amend the election law by:

(1) Prohibiting the chief election officer from contracting with political action committees or groups organized for a political purpose, for polling purposes;

(2) Prohibiting any person from using, printing, publishing, or distributing voter registration information acquired from voter registration affidavits or any list prepared from them;

(3) Changing the deadline by which qualified political parties may submit names for precinct officials from 60 to 40 days prior to the close of filing for any election;

(4) Prohibiting a reciprocal beneficiary of a candidate from serving as a precinct official in the precinct where votes are cast for the candidate;

(5) Clarifying that the poll watcher appointed by each qualified political party may be present at any time in each precinct and absentee polling place in which the candidates of that political party are on the ballot; and

(6) Allowing poll watchers to review polling books but restricting them from recording confidential information such as social security numbers and dates of birth.

The League of Women Voters of Hawaii and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill. The Office of Elections opposed this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Clarifying that unless otherwise authorized, any person is prohibited from using, printing, publishing, or distributing voter registration information;

(2) Deleting the provision to change the deadline by which names may be submitted for precinct officials;

(3) Changing the effective date to January 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1712, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1712, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair