Bills For All-Mail Voting, Mandatory Recounts Clear Legislature
House Bill 1248 to implement an all-mail voting system and Senate Bill 216 to mandate recounts will now go to Gov. David Ige’s desk for a final approval.
State lawmakers passed two measures to reform Hawaii鈥檚 voting system in the wake of two election challenges that overturned the results in a Honolulu City Council race and jeopardized the seating of an Ewa senator.
聽would implement a vote-by-mail system statewide beginning in 2020, and聽聽would require a mandatory recount of ballots in races where the difference between the top-two vote getters is 0.25% or 100 votes or less.
Elections reform measures were some of the Legislature’s top priorities heading into this year鈥檚 session. The bills will now move to Gov. David Ige’s desk for approval.
The mail voting bill requires that voters get their ballots 18 days before Election Day. Postage for return envelopes would be prepaid.
Some voters that want to walk in and cast a paper ballot could still do so because HB 1248 would require the county clerks to set up voting centers beginning 10 days before an election.
The counties would also need to open places where people can drop off their mail ballots.
HB 1248 also seeks to remedy several issues brought to light following the November elections challenge over Honolulu City Council District 4 between Tommy Waters and Trevor Ozawa.
If a ballot is mailed, it needs to be in the possession of the county clerk鈥檚 office by 6 p.m. Ballots would also need to be in the drop boxes at that time as well; however, voters have until 7 p.m. on election day to be in line at a voting center if they want to cast their ballot.
The time ballots were dropped off to the county clerk鈥檚 office figured heavily in the election challenge over Ozawa鈥檚 presumed win in the November general election.
In January, the state Supreme Court ruled that 350 mail ballots collected after the close of polls from an airport facility should not have been counted in that race. The state argued in court that the ballots were in the possession of the county clerk once they came to a mailing facility.
The high court says that isn鈥檛 so.
The bill makes several changes to the current law, too. It would get rid of voting precincts, eliminate a section of the law that requires employers to give workers time off to cast their ballots and change the way ties would be decided.
In the past, the elections office would decide ties based on how many precincts a candidate won. Now, HB 1248 would have the chief elections officer resolve ties by drawing lots.
The elections office estimates that it could save $750,000 each year if it switched to an all-mail system. Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago said in written testimony to lawmakers that the office would require $912,127 as an initial investment by the state to implement the program in Hawaii County, Maui County and on Oahu.
HB 1248 gives $200,000 to the state elections office and another $833,000 to the counties to start up the all-mail voting system.
