STAND. COM. REP. NO.  824

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1773

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1773 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to increase the integrity of the elections process by:

(1)  Giving the Election Commission the duties of investigating absentee voting violations and requesting the Attorney General or county prosecuting attorney to prosecute those violations; and

(2)  Requiring absentee voters to affirm that they were not within 200 feet of a telephone or campaign material, or any candidate or members of the candidate's family or staff, and were alone when voting.

The Office of Elections supported the intent of this bill.  League of Women Voters of Hawaii commented on this bill.

Your Committee deleted the section in this bill imposing restrictions on persons who vote by absentee ballot, as impractical and unenforceable.  It is difficult for your Committee to imagine someone voting at home who is not within 200 feet of a telephone.  Your Committee also finds that it is impractical to require that absentee voters be "alone when voting."  This bill was also amended by changing the effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 1773, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1773, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

TOMMY WATERS, Chair