STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2802

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 2499

 

 

 

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. 2499 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VACANCIES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the processes for addressing party candidate and state senator vacancies.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and its state counterpart require ballots to be transmitted to military and overseas voters at least forty-five days prior to an election.  To produce the ballot in a timely manner, significant preparation is required of the Office of Elections.  Additionally, the Office of Elections must address challenges and objections that may arise after candidate filing deadlines or primary election results, further impacting the timeline for producing the ballot.  Existing law governing regularly scheduled elections accounts for these factors.  However, it does not do so for state senate vacancy elections.  Under existing law, a vacancy in the state senate may trigger an election in as few as fifty days, leaving insufficient time for ballot preparation and transmission.  This measure will clarify and align timelines related to state senate vacancies to ensure that the Office of Elections has sufficient time to prepare ballots in compliance with state and federal election requirements.

 

     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. 2499 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair