REPORT TITLE:
Political Parties


DESCRIPTION:
Amends the elections law to make it easier for a political party
to qualify and operate in Hawaii.  (SB631 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        631
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO POLITICAL PARTIES.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Section 11-61, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
 
 3      "(b)  Any party which does not meet the following
 
 4 requirements or the requirements set forth in sections 11-62 to
 
 5 11-64, shall be subject to disqualification:
 
 6      (1)  A party must have had candidates running for election
 
 7           at the last general election for any of the offices
 
 8           listed in paragraph (2) whose terms had expired.  This
 
 9           does not include those offices which were vacant
 
10           because the incumbent had died or resigned before the
 
11           end of the incumbent's term; and
 
12      (2)  The party received at least ten per cent of all votes
 
13           cast:
 
14           (A)  For any of the offices voted upon by all the
 
15                voters in the State; or
 
16           (B)  In at least fifty per cent of the congressional
 
17                districts;
 
18           [(C) In at least the six senatorial districts with the
 
19                lowest votes cast for the office of state senator;
 
20                or
 

 
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 1           (D)  In at least fifty per cent of the representative
 
 2                districts for the office of state
 
 3                representative.]; or
 
 4      (3)  The party received at least four per cent of all the
 
 5           votes cast for all the offices of state senator
 
 6           statewide; or
 
 7      (4)  The party received at least four per cent of all the
 
 8           votes cast for all the offices of state representative
 
 9           statewide; or
 
10      (5)  The party received at least two per cent of all the
 
11           votes cast for all the offices of state senate and all
 
12           the offices of state representative combined
 
13           statewide."
 
14      SECTION 2.  Section 11-62, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
15 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
16      "(a)  Any group of persons hereafter desiring to qualify as
 
17 a political party for election ballot purposes in the State shall
 
18 file with the chief election officer a petition as provided in
 
19 [[]this[]] section.  The petition for qualification as a
 
20 political party shall:
 
21      (1)  Be filed not later than 4:30 p.m. on the one hundred
 
22           seventieth day prior to the next primary;
 
23      (2)  Declare as concisely as may be the intention of signers
 

 
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 1           thereof to qualify as a statewide political party in
 
 2           the State and state the name of the new party;
 
 3      (3)  Contain the name, signature, residence address, date of
 
 4           birth, and other information as determined by the chief
 
 5           election officer of currently registered voters
 
 6           comprising not less than one-tenth of one per cent of
 
 7           the total registered voters of the State as of the last
 
 8           preceding general election;
 
 9      (4)  Be accompanied by the names and addresses of the
 
10           officers of the central committee and of the respective
 
11           county committees of the political party and by the
 
12           party rules; and
 
13      (5)  Be upon the form prescribed and provided by the chief
 
14           election officer."
 
15      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
16 New statutory material is underscored.
 
17      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.