STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2468

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2453

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2453 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Office of Elections to include a notice to voters that a digital and print voter information guide is available;

(2) Require the notice to be in thirty-two-point font and enclosed as a separate insert with each ballot;

(3) Require the Office of Elections to maintain a notice on its website providing certain information about the voter information guide;

(4) Require the Office of Elections to make the digital voter information guide available to the public no later than twenty-one days before the primary election and no later than fifty days before the general election; and

(5) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and two individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Elections.

Your Committee finds that the Digital Voter Information Guide provides voters with useful information about pertinent issues and the candidates on the ballot in an election. However, little effort was made to publicize the Digital Voter Information Guide for the last election, leaving it underutilized by voters. This measure will improve the visibility and distribution of the Digital Voter Information Guide to ensure that the public is aware of this valuable resource.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation amount; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of March 22, 2075, to encourage further discussion;

Your Committee notes that this measure, as amended, contains an unspecified appropriation amount. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider an appropriation amount of $90,000.

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. 2453, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2453, 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,

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair