STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2420

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2801

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2801 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTER REGISTRATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to enable persons to register to vote on election day.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, Hawaii Government Employees Association, The League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and an individual.

     The Office of the City Clerk for the City and County of Honolulu submitted comments on this measure.

     Your Committee finds that this measure removes a barrier to voter registration and has the potential to increase voter participation while establishing reasonable safeguards against fraud and misrepresentation in the election process.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to postpone implementation of walk-in voter registration to 2010 to allow the Office of Elections time to prepare for the changes required by this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2801, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2801, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair