House Committee on Judiciary (JUD) - chair: Keith-Agaran, vice chair: Rhoads

Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 2:00 p.m.. Conference Room 325

Testifier: JoAnn Maruoka, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view HB621

The League of Women Voters of Hawaii agrees with HB 621 that changes the voter registration requirement to include only the last four digits of the individual’s social security number (SSN) on the registration application affidavit. In these times of widespread and justifiable concern over identity theft, this protective measure seems to be a no-brainer. Having served as a county deputy voter registrar for several years, I always felt a significant personal responsibility to ensure personal information was properly controlled until registration affidavits were turned in to the clerks, something I did in person. However, that was how I did it, and doesn’t mean others do the same. We no longer have trained and certified deputy voter registrars. While registration applications can be mailed or turned in by the individual applying, they can also be turned in by others, who may or may not be as conscientious or careful. Using only the last four SSN digits helps increase security over personal information, which is why it is increasingly and widely used throughout the federal government. We support passage of HB 621, and thank you for the opportunity to testify on it.