STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2271

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2380

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2380 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to increase the number of qualified registered voters in Hawaii by requiring all applicants for a new or renewed driver's license, provisional license, instructional permit, or civil identification card, who are eligible to vote, to automatically be registered to vote.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections; Office of the County Clerk Elections Division, County of Kauai; Office of the County Clerk, County of Maui; Common Cause Hawaii; and two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu; and League of Women Voters.

     Your Committee finds a need to establish a voter registration process that encourages qualified individuals to make the decision to register to vote.  The National Voter Registration Act requires all motor vehicle driver's license applications to serve as applications of voter registration, unless the applicant fails to sign the voter registration application.  Therefore, all driver's license and civil identification card applications incorporate an affidavit on application for voter registration.  This measure will increase voter registration by streamlining the administrative processing of voter registration applications, while complying with the National Voter Registration Act.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting language to:

     (1)  Require an affidavit on application for voter registration to be part of a civil identification card application and driver's license application;

     (2)  Require a civil identification card or driver's license applicant to fill out the affidavit on application for voter registration unless the applicant clearly indicates that the applicant does not wish to register to vote;

     (3)  Require the Examiner of Drivers to process driver's license and civil identification card applications only after the applicant either clearly indicates on the affidavit on application for voter registration that the applicant does not wish to register to vote or completes the affidavit;

     (4)  Require the Examiner of Drivers to electronically transmit voter registration information to the county clerks within five days of the submittal of the affidavit;

     (5)  Specify administrative requirements for the processing of the voter registration information;

     (6)  Appropriate funds to the Department of Transportation to make the necessary changes to the Department's system and the statewide voter registration system to provide for the electronic transmission, receipt, and processing of voter registration information; and

     (7)  Insert an effective date of July 1, 2014; provided that the opt-out voter registration provisions take effect on January 1, 2016.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2380, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2380, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair