STAND. COM. REP. NO.  358

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 612

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 612 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to prohibit the public disclosure of voting results for any ballot contest or question from precincts affected by an election postponement.  

 

     The League of Women Voters of Hawaii and Common Cause Hawaii testified in support of this measure and proposed amendments.  American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

 

(1)  Specify that prohibited disclosures include counting center computer printouts or other means of disclosing vote count information;

 

(2)  Give the Chief Election Officer and County Clerk discretionary authority to withhold disclosure of vote count information that is not affected by a postponed election;

 

(3)  Specify that an election can be postponed for no more than seven days and amend notification requirements accordingly;

 

(4)  Specify that the Chief Election Officer or County Clerk may postpone the election prior to its start due to a natural disaster and the Governor may postpone the election once it has commenced due to any declared state of emergency; and

 

(5)  Make technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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. 612, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 612, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair