STAND. COM. REP. NO. 14

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 201

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 201 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the administration of elections by mail in the State by:

(1) Clarifying certain statutory deadlines relating to elections by mail, including the date to which the clerk must continue mailing ballot packages to voters who update their voter registration address, and the date on which ballots may begin to be tabulated;

(2) Authorizing a county clerk to operate additional voter service centers with varying days or hours of operation;

(3) Providing that voters standing in line at a voter service center at the time the voter service center closes may vote or register to vote, if eligible; and

(4) Authorizing a county clerk to open places of deposit no earlier than the initial day that ballots are mailed.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, County of Kauai Office of the County Clerk, County of Maui Office of the County Clerk, City and County of Honolulu Elections Administrator, Common Cause Hawaii, Indivisible Hawaii, AARP Hawaii, and eleven individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Honolulu County Republican Party. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the County of Hawaii Office of the County Clerk.

Your Committee finds that statewide elections by mail was implemented in the 2020 primary and general elections and the State received record voter turnout. This measure is necessary to build off of the experiences learned in the implementation of elections by mail to improve services and opportunities for voters to cast their ballots and the administration of elections by state and county election officials.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 201 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair