STAND. COM. REP. NO. 968

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1325

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1325, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC VOTING REQUIREMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect the integrity of Hawaii elections by enhancing the security of electronic voting.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Prohibits use of electronic voting systems unless a paper ballot trail is generated;

(2) Establishes the conditions under which the chief election officer may rely on electronic tallies created by electronic voting systems; and

(3) Expands the offense of election fraud to include alteration of any electronic voting system to cause an inaccurate vote tally.

Your Committee finds that requiring any electronic voting system to include a verifiable paper trail as a condition of use will restore voter confidence in the integrity of Hawaii elections, and assure voters that their vote is counted. Use of an electronic voting system that does not produce a paper ballot would make conducting a recount very difficult. A paper trail creates a method to verify results. Expanding election fraud to include tampering with electronic voting systems will also aid in accountability.

A technical nonsubstantive amendment to specify who retains the paper ballot generated by an electronic voting system has been made for the purpose of clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1325, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1325, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair