STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1573

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 1005

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1005, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and make certain administrative changes for presidential preference primary elections.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Elections, Office of the City Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu, Office of the County Clerk of the County of Hawai‘i, Democratic Party of Hawaii Labor Caucus, and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is one of six states where state and county agencies do not conduct the presidential primary elections. This measure would establish a secure, convenient, and verifiable voting system for Hawaii residents to vote in the presidential nominating process.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring political parties to file their petition for qualification no later than the ninetieth day before the close of filing of presidential nomination papers in order to qualify for a presidential preference primary election;

(2) Clarifying the procedure for contests for cause as it relates to presidential candidates;

(3) Changing the date of the presidential preference primary election to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April;

(4) Deleting language that would have allowed parties to opt out of the presidential preference primary election;

(5) Requiring nomination papers for a presidential preference primary election to be made available no later than one hundred forty-five days before the presidential preference primary election;

(6) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $3,395,703 for the Office of Elections; $775,000 for the Office of the City Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu; $258,075 for the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Hawaii; $147,500 for the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Kauai; and $600,000 for the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Maui.

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. 1005, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1005, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair