STAND. COM. REP. NO. 776

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 107

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 107 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Provide that the ballot of an absentee or military-overseas voter is valid even if the voter becomes ineligible to vote after casting the ballot; and

(2) Repeal the requirement that an absentee voter's ballot be deemed invalid if the voter returns the return envelope but dies prior to the opening of the polls.

Your Committee did not receive any testimony on this measure.

Your Committee finds that many voters who cannot physically go to a polling place rely on absentee ballots in order to vote. Your Committee further finds that this includes service members of the United States military who are residents of Hawaii but are serving overseas. Your Committee additionally finds that circumstances can arise in which a person who is eligible to vote casts their vote using an absentee ballot but becomes ineligible to vote after casting their ballot. This measure ensures that such votes will be properly counted.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.B. No. 107, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 107, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair