Senate bill would let voters register at polls

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Hawai'i residents would be allowed to register at their polling places on election days under legislation now moving through the state Senate.

Representatives of groups from the League of Women Voters of Hawai'i to the American Civil Liberties Union gave support for Senate Bill 1142, which would require a person submit two forms of identification establishing proof of residency before being allowed to vote. Currently, voters must register at least 30 days before election day.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the measure tomorrow.

Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina testified in favor of same-day registration. "It removes another barrier and impediment to registering and voting," he said.

Six states permit election day registration — Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

While voter fraud has been raised previously as a potential concern, Yoshina said, "Hawai'i's voting system has built-in checks and balances to prevent fraud from occurring."

Jean Aoki, of the League of Women Voters, said her office receives numerous complaints from citizens each election regarding the issue. "Many people don't start becoming aware of the election races and the ballot issues until late in the election period," she said. "And for those who are not registered yet are caught up in the mounting interest in particular races or issues, same say registration will be the answer and, we hope, more interest in elections in the future."

Several of those testifying in support noted that Hawai'i, once among the states with the highest percentage of voters in elections, now ranks as one of the worst.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations moved out Bill 1149, which allows for federal, state or county elections that are not regularly scheduled to be conducted by mail.