THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2137
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Act 136, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, established that all elections statewide were to be conducted by mail beginning with the 2020 primary election. This Act allows election officials to establish additional voter service centers, beyond the one designated for each county, by permitting these additional voter service centers to operate during different days and times. This addresses the needs of voters in certain areas where no voter service center would have been established due to an inability to obtain a facility or personnel to support the operation of a voter service center for ten business days or the hours established for voter service centers statewide.

SECTION 2. Section 11-109, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:

"(a) Voter service centers shall be established [at the office of the clerk, and may be established at additional locations within a county as may be designated by a clerk] by the clerks to service the particular needs of [a] each county's voters. For a county with more than one island in its jurisdiction, there shall be at least one voter service center on each island.

(b) [Voter service centers] In each county, a voter service center shall be open from the tenth business day preceding the day of the election during regular business hours until the time provided in section 11-131 on the date of the election and at the same times statewide. The clerks may operate additional voter service centers having varying days or hours of operations to service the voters of particular areas that otherwise could not support the operation of a voter service center for ten business days or the same times statewide. Any voter standing in line at a voter service center at the closing time provided in section 11-131 on the date of the election and having the intent of voting shall be allowed to vote. A person eligible to vote but who is not registered to vote and is standing in line at a voter service center at the closing time provided in section 11-131 on the date of the election shall be permitted to apply under section 11-15.2 to register to vote and subsequently vote that election day. To the extent the registration clerk determines the applicant to be registered at that time, the applicant will be permitted to vote by regular ballot. If additional time is required to process the application, the applicant will be provided a provisional ballot."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Office of Elections Package; Elections; Voter Service Centers

Description:

Authorizes election officials to establish additional voter service centers. (SD1)

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