STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3559

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 99

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Judiciary, to which was referred S.R. No. 99 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO STUDENTS ON HOW TO PREREGISTER TO VOTE PRIOR TO REACHING VOTING AGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Education to provide information to students on how to preregister to vote before reaching voting age.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, and League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi County.

Your Committees find that longstanding barriers to civic participation that disproportionately affect women and marginalized groups can be addressed by facilitating voter registration and preregistration in high schools. Research and best practices indicate that early exposure to civic education and accessible registration opportunities increase lifelong voter engagement. This measure therefore promotes active and informed participation in democratic governance by all students.

Your Committees have amended this measure by 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 Education and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 99, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 99, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair