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 HB593

The League of Women Voters of Hawaii agrees with HB 593. The bill requires candidates for county elective office to submit a sworn certification by self-subscribing oath that s/he has complied with all relevant provisions of the applicable county charter and county ordinances. It seems reasonable to expect a county candidate to be willing to positively acknowledge compliance; in fact, this may help make county candidates more likely to consciously review the relevant county charter and ordinances as they choose to run. It also makes sense to align such a requirement for county candidates to other such self-subscribing sworn oaths; and it does not appear to create any inappropriate burden. We support the effort to ensure properly documented audit trails for those seeking public office. Such actions that help increase public confidence in the elections process may add to the likelihood that more of our citizens will vote in elections. An increase in voter turnout is something we would all like to see happen. Thank you for this opportunity to testify on HB 593.