STAND. COM. REP. NO.  146

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 545

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 545 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to work to improve voter participation in the democratic process by:

     (1)  Requiring the Chief Election Officer to create, implement, and maintain a publicly available electronic voter registration system by January 1, 2012; and

     (2)  Establishing requirements for electronic voter registration, including identification requirements.

     Americans for Democratic Action/Hawaii and Common Cause Hawaii testified in support of this bill.  The Office of Elections and Office of the City Clerk provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the date by which the electronic voter registration system shall be implemented from January 1, 2012, to January 1, 2014;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to January 7, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  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. 545, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 545, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair