HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
124 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
S.D. 1 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 11-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§11-2 Chief election officer; duties. (a) The chief election officer shall supervise all state elections. The chief election officer may delegate responsibilities in state elections within a county to the clerk of that county or to other specified persons.
(b) The chief election officer shall be responsible for the maximization of registration of eligible electors throughout the State. In maximizing registration, the chief election officer shall make an effort to equalize registration between districts, with particular effort in those districts in which the chief election officer determines registration is lower than desirable. The chief election officer, in carrying out this function, may make surveys, carry on house-to-house canvassing, and assist or direct the clerk in any other area of registration.
(c) The chief election officer shall maintain
data concerning registered voters, elections, apportionment, and
districting. The chief election officer
shall use this data to assist the reapportionment commission provided for under
[Article] article IV of the Constitution.
(d) The chief election officer shall be responsible for public education with respect to voter registration and information.
(e) The chief election
officer shall develop and distribute a voter information guide for all candidates
running for federal or state office, including candidates for any trustee
position of the office of Hawaiian affairs. The voter information
guide shall include a short statement of less than one hundred fifty words for
each candidate running for office, to be prepared by the candidate; provided
that the statement is based on a template or criteria created by the office of elections.
The office of
elections shall provide a translation of the voter information guide in Olelo
Hawaii. The voter information guide
may be distributed by whatever means practical given the resources available to
the chief election officer, including but not limited to electronic distribution,
mail, or newspaper, and may be distributed in different versions to fit the
respective electoral districts or regions.
In each regular session of the legislature that immediately precedes an
election year, the chief election officer shall request an appropriation that
is sufficient to carry out the purposes of this subsection, to be effective in
the year in which the election is to be held.
[(e)]
(f) The chief election officer
shall adopt rules governing elections in accordance with chapter 91."
SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that it shall apply to the 2024 election and shall be repealed on November 6, 2024.
Report Title:
Elections; Chief Election Officer; Voter Information Guide
Description:
Requires the chief election officer to develop and distribute a voter information guide for all candidates running for federal or state office, including candidates running for any trustee position of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the 2024 election. Sunsets 11/6/2024. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.