STAND. COM. REP. NO. 10

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 427

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 427 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RANKED CHOICE VOTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish ranked choice voting for special federal elections and special elections of vacant county seats.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Libertarian Party of Hawaii, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, FairVote Action, Common Cause Hawaii, and seven individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Honolulu County Republican Party and eight individuals.

Your Committee finds that special elections for federal and county council offices often involve numerous candidates and can result in situations in which a candidate wins with a plurality of votes that falls well short of a majority. Your Committee further finds that ranked choice voting ensures that elections in which a large number of candidates appear on the ballot can be won with clear majorities without the need for costly and inefficient runoff elections.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment to clarify that the Office of Elections may modify a ranked-choice voting ballot and tabulation.

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 S.B. No. 427, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 427, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair