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President's Message for Spring Come to the Biennial Convention May 30! Public Funding of Election Campaigns (Kory Payne) Bills Relating to Health Care (Joy Marshall & Suzanne Meisenzahl) Election Day Registration (Jean Aoki) Housing (Jackie Parnell) Major Challenges for 2010 Elections (Jean Aoki) Civil Unions (Jean Aoki) My Favorite Testimony Proposed Budget June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010 (Susan Miller) Voting Rights, Incarcerated Persons (Jean Aoki) Withrdawals and Nominations (Jean Aoki) Corporate Donations (Jean Aoki) Mahalo to All the Contributors to Our Big Non-Event! Campaign to Stop Legalized Gambling Successful (Grace Furukawa & Pearl Johnson) Local Legue Reports - Honolulu (Piilani Kaopuiki) Local League Reports - Hawaii (Leilani Bronson-Crelly & Susan Dursin) Local League Reports - Kauai |
Election Day RegistrationSB 654 Relating to Voting (This is the Election Day Registration (EDR) bill axed by the finance committees last year). Registration for elections ends 30 days before an election to allow for the preparation of the poll book. Some see this as a barrier to voter registration. Many citizens do not get engaged in candidate selection or ballot issues until close to elections when advertisements, debates, public discourse and social chatter pique their interests. Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action is a non-partisan public policy research organization It champions EDR and states, “EDR increases the opportunity to cast a vote and participate in American Democracy”. The Network: Did a survey in six EDR states (Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming) in 2007 which found great support among elections officials. Fewer than half of surveyed officials found that administering registrations at the polls can complicate Election Day operations; most of those were quick to add that these challenges are more than outweighed by the benefit to voters, according to a brochure. Montana adopted EDR in 2006. Since then, Iowa and North Carolina have also adopted EDR. 17 states are currently considering bills enacting EDR, including Hawaii. Facts to Consider
Action Needed Call or e-mail your representative and the chair of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu (ph. 586-8490. e-mail repkaramatsu@capitol.hawaii.gov) to support SB 654. Jean Aoki |
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