STAND. COM. REP. NO. 755

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1248

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. 1248 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to implement voting by mail statewide beginning in 2022.

The Office of Elections, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, Office of the County Clerk of the County of Maui, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Common Cause Hawaii, and three individuals testified in support of this measure. The Honolulu County Republican Party and two individuals testified in opposition.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring all elections statewide to be conducted by mail beginning with the 2020 primary election;

(2) Changing the time of closure of voting from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.;

(3) Requiring that ballots be mailed to voters no later than 26 days before the date of the election;

(4) Specifying that the return identification envelope with a voter's ballot must be postmarked by the close of the fifth day before the date of the election, if a voter chooses to mail their ballot back;

(5) Requiring the following minimum numbers of places of deposit:

(A) One per island;

(B) Two for any island with a population greater than two hundred thousand but not equal to or greater than five hundred thousand; and

(C) Three for any island with a population equal to or greater than five hundred thousand; and

(6) 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. 1248, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1248, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair