STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1458-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2333

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2333 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTION AUDITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Chief Election Officer to use accurate copies of paper ballots, rather than the originals, when conducting a precinct audit of an electronic voting system's tally.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Common Cause Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that as a condition of using an electronic tally of ballots created by an electronic voting system, the Chief Election Officer is required to conduct a random audit of the vote counts in ten percent of the precincts where an electronic voting system was used. By allowing the use of accurate copies of paper ballots, rather than the original paper ballots, to conduct the audits, this measure will increase the efficiency of the audits without compromising their precision.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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 S.B. No. 2333, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2333, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair