STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3179

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2005

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2005 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require that any person who is eligible to vote and applies for a new or renewal motor vehicle driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit, or a new, renewal, or duplicate identification card be automatically registered to vote, if that person is not already registered to vote, unless the applicant affirmatively declines to be registered to vote; and

(2) Authorize access to and electronic transmission of databases maintained or operated by the counties or the Department of Transportation containing driver's license or identification card information to election officials and the statewide voter registration system.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Office of Elections, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawai‘i County Clerk, Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, League of Women Voters, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Common Cause Hawaii, Automatic Voter Registration Hawaii Coalition, Americans for Democratic Action, Hawaii Women’s Coalition, Community Alliance on Prisons, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, Zonta Club of Hilo, Faith Action for Community Equity, Pono Hawai‘i Initiative, Pride at Work Hawaii, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and nine individuals.

Your Committees find that according to the United States Election Project, fewer than four in ten of Hawaii's voting-eligible population voted in the 2018 general election, yet again placing the State last in the nation. This measure not only increases opportunities for members of the community to register to vote, it also ensures the accuracy of the voter registration rolls by electronically transmitting voter registration data between the driver license and identification card database and the statewide voter registration system.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting references to permanent absentee ballots throughout; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2005, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2005, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair