Report Title:
Absentee Voting; Polling Place Hours
Description:
Establishing voting hours from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day for absentee polling places.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1681 |
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TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to absentee voting.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 11-131, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§11-131 Hours of voting. The
polls shall be opened by the precinct officials at 7:00 a.m. of the election
day and shall be kept open continuously until 6:00 p.m. of that day[.];
provided that hours of voting in absentee polling places shall be as provided
in section 15-7. If, at the closing hour of voting, any voter desiring to
vote is standing in line outside the entrance of the polls with the desire of
entering and voting, but due to the polling place being overcrowded has been
unable to do so, the voter shall be allowed to vote irrespective of the closing
hour of voting. No voter shall be permitted to enter or join the line after
the prescribed hour for closing the polls. If all of the registered voters of
the precinct have cast their votes prior to the closing time, the polls may be
closed earlier but the votes shall not be counted until after closing time
unless allowed by the chief election officer."
SECTION 2. Section 15-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§15-7 Absentee polling place[.];
hours of voting. (a) Absentee polling places shall be established at
the office of the respective clerks, and may be established at such other sites
as may be designated by the clerk under the provisions prescribed in the rules
adopted by the chief election officer. Section 11-21 relating to changes and
transfers of registration shall apply to the absentee polling place as though
it were the precinct at which a person's name properly appears on the list of
registered voters.
(b) The absentee polling places shall be open no later than ten working days before election day, and all Saturdays falling within that time period, or as soon thereafter as ballots are available; provided that all absentee polling places shall be open on the same date statewide, as determined by the chief election officer.
(c) Each day that absentee polling places shall be open before election day, the absentee polling places shall be opened at 7:00 a.m. and shall be kept open continuously until 7:00 p.m. of each day. If, at the closing hour of the last day that absentee polling places are open, any absentee voter desiring to vote is standing in line outside the entrance of an absentee polling place with the desire of entering and voting, but due to the absentee polling place being overcrowded has been unable to do so, the absentee voter shall be allowed to vote absentee irrespective of the closing hour of the absentee polling place. No absentee voter shall be permitted to enter or join the line after the prescribed hour for closing the absentee polling places."
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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