STAND. COM. REP. NO.  409-16

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1055

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1055 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATED TO ELECTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage voter registration by accepting, for purposes of identification for voter registration, the applicant's Hawaii driver's license number or Hawaii state identification card number or, if no license or identification card has been issued, the last four digits of the applicant's social security number.

 

     Common Cause Hawaii and one concerned individual testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Elections and the City Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu provided comments.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State's voter registration laws should conform to federal office election law which would require the State to issue a citizen an identification number for voter registration purposes if that person does not have a social security number.  This change will enable and encourage those affected citizens to register.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring the State to issue the applicant a unique voter registration identification number if the applicant does not have a driver's license, Hawaii state identification card number, or social security number; and to enroll the applicant by the unique identification number in the State's computerized voter registration records; and

 

     (2)  Making the measure effective on January 1, 2018.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1055, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1055, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair