STAND. COM. REP. NO. 760

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1327

H.D. 2

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. 1327, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to accommodate voters who speak the Hawaiian language by:

(1) Requiring the Chief Election Officer to make request forms for an absentee ballot or for permanent absentee voter status available to voters in the English or Hawaiian language; and

(2) Requiring that absentee ballots, written in English and Hawaiian, be made available to absentee voters.

The O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies submitted testimony in opposition to this measure. The Office of Elections offered comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that absentee ballots must be available to absentee voters in either English or Hawaiian, and the ballots do not have to be printed with both English and Hawaiian on the same ballot.

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. 1327, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1327, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair