STAND. COM. REP. NO. 958

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1217

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1217 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Increase the opportunities for individuals to register to vote by making the completion of an affidavit application for voter registration mandatory for all driver's license or identification card applicants;

(2) Require the Chief Election Officer to adopt rules that prohibit the disclosure of certain information;

(3) Automatically register each qualified applicant for voting; and

(4) Ensure the accuracy of the voter registration rolls by electronically transmitting voter registration data between the driver's license and identification card databases and the statewide voter registration system.

The Office of Elections; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Women's Coalition; League of Women Voters of Hawaii; AVR Hawaii; American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; Democratic Party of Hawaii; We Are One, Inc.; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure. The Honolulu County Republican Party and two individuals testified in opposition. The Department of Transportation, Common Cause Hawaii, and Transform Hawai‘i Government provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the examiner of drivers must electronically transmit to the Office of Elections relevant voter registration information that is requested by the Chief Election Officer (CEO) rather than any information specified by the CEO;

(2) Allowing an applicant for a driver's license or an identification card to affirmatively decline to register to vote;

(3) Changing its effective date to January 28, 2081; and

(4) 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. 1217, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1217, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair