Senate Committee on Ways and Means (WAM) - chair: Kim, vice chair: Tsutui

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 10:00 a.m.. Conference Room 211

Testifier: JoAnn Maruoka, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view SB2819 SD1

Chair Mercado Kim, Vice Chair Tsutsui, and WAM committee members, The League of Women Voters of Hawaii supports SB 2819, SD1 Relating to Elections. We only hope that the SD1 effective date of July 1, 2050 and providing that the measure apply to primary elections held prior to the regularly scheduled general election held in November 2060, will truly facilitate further discussion that results in near-term implementation. We would not like to see a 40-50 year delay. We strongly support and have long advocated lengthening the time between the primary and the general elections. While absentee ballots were a factor, it is also the fact that the current window of six weeks leaves no room for error or for more complicated challenges to election results. Even under normal conditions, the staff is under duress to get ballots ready and distributed in time for the General Election. Lengthening the time between the primary and general elections will allow doing the necessary preparations in a more deliberate and controlled way, certainly reducing if not eliminating errors. And this, of course, will also help us meet the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act's requirements for providing for absentee ballots to overseas voters. Thank you for this opportunity to testify in support of SB 2819, SD1.