STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1247

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1116

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1116, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the candidates for the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to be displayed on the ballot by residency and non-residency requirements and to randomize the order of candidate names within those groupings and among precincts.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Elections and one individual.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, names of candidates for the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are placed on the ballot in alphabetical order. However, ballot order has been shown to affect election outcomes and the first name on the ballot generally has an advantage over names listed further down the ballot. To mitigate any advantage that may arise from the order of candidate names on the ballot, this measure requires that the names of candidates for the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs be randomized on individual ballots and also randomly rotated between precincts.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1116, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

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MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair