STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 834

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 433

S.D. 2

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 433, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS BY MAIL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a permanent election by mail program applicable to all federal, state, and county primary, general, and special elections to be conducted beginning at an unspecified future primary election date.

This bill:

(1) Establishes the procedures and processes for the mailing of ballot packages to eligible voters and handling undeliverable ballot packages;

(2) Requires public notice before an election by mail is conducted;

(3) Establishes requirements for voting by mail, including procedures for returning the return identification envelope either by mail or at designated places of deposit;

(4) Creates procedures for obtaining a replacement ballot;

(5) Establishes the method of counting mail-in ballots; and

(6) Appropriates an unspecified amount for fiscal year 2005-2006 to implement and administer the election by mail voting system.

Your Committee finds that this bill provides not only an effective, but a permanent, measure to combat the steady three-decade decline in voter participation among Hawaii voters and to eliminate barriers to voting. Voting by mail is an obvious voter-friendly initiative whose time has come and that deserves support.

Your Committee has made technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 433, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 433, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair