Bills To Aid Voting Near Approval
One measure calls for automatic registration while a second establishes voting by mail.
Up for conference committee hearing Tuesday afternoon are two measures that proponents say could improve voter turnout in Hawaii.
听would allow听any person eligible to vote who applies for a new or renewed driver鈥檚 license, driver instruction permit or state identification card to听be automatically registered to vote if they are not already registered. The applicant could also decline听to register to vote.
“This new election approach builds on other successful efforts to modernize the way we vote in Hawaii,鈥 said Ann Shaver, League of Women Voters’ president, in a press release.
听calls for听the Office of Elections to听implement a voting-by-mail system that build on the absentee and permanent absentee voting programs. It would take place in 2018 to 2020.
Carmille Lim, executive director of Common Cause Hawaii, stated, 鈥溾橝utomatic Voter Registration鈥 can unlock access to voting for an estimated 300 thousand Hawaii citizens who are eligible to vote but unregistered.听Streamlining the voter registration process for all eligible voters is a step toward increasing voter participation in our state.鈥
