STAND. COM. REP. NO. 468

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1485

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. 1485 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase voter participation and encourage civic engagement in Hawaii's schools by establishing a process for the automatic preregistration of public school-enrolled students who are at least 16 but not yet 18 years old.

The Office of Elections; League of Women Voters; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Women's Coalition; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; AVR Hawaii; Democratic Party of Hawaii; Common Cause Hawaii; We Are One, Inc.; and many individuals testified in support of this measure. The Honolulu County Republican Party and several individuals testified in opposition to this measure. The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Education, and Hawaii Libertarian Party provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the process to also preregister or register eligible seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds;

(2) Clarifying that students retain the option to subsequently opt in or out of preregistration or registration;

(3) Allowing the Superintendent of Education (Superintendent) to collect the voter affidavit forms for transmission to the county clerk;

(4) Deleting the requirement that the Superintendent electronically transmit voter registration information to the county clerk, election officials, and the statewide voter registration system within five calendar days;

(5) Prohibiting the Superintendent from:

(A) Maintaining, scanning, reviewing, or copying any voter affidavit; or

(B) Transmitting any information maintained by the Department of Education (DOE);

(6) Deleting the requirement that databases maintained or operated by the DOE be accessible and provide information electronically to election officials and the statewide voter registration system;

(7) Deleting the appropriation to the Office of Elections for the electronic transmission, receipt, and processing of voter preregistration information; and

(8) 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. 1485, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1485, 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