Bill Text: HI HR186 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Voter Registration; Pre-Registration of Minors.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-03-19 - Referred to EDN, referral sheet 40 [HR186 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-HR186-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	186
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting The Department of Education, in cooperation with the Office of Elections, to create and implement a voter

pre-registration and education program for public high school students in Hawaii.

 

     WHEREAS, a democracy depends upon the active participation of voters who elect their representatives; and

 

     WHEREAS, less than forty-three per cent of registered voters turned out for the 2012 primary election in Hawaii statewide; and

 

     WHEREAS, less than sixty-two per cent of registered voters turned out for the 2012 general election in Hawaii statewide; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to an October 5, 2012, Honolulu Civil Beat article, Hawaii traditionally has the lowest voter turnout in the nation; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the same article, in 2008, Hawaii had the lowest voter turnout among those aged eighteen through twenty-five; and

 

     WHEREAS, if low voter turnout remains the norm, government decisions will be made by elected officials representing a smaller and smaller number of voters, which is a dangerous prospect for a democracy; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii allows minors to pre-register to vote on or after their sixteenth birthday; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Project Vote website, a 2010 study conducted by George Mason University found that pre-registration of minors "appears to have positive and persisting long-term effects" on their voting propensities; and

 

     WHEREAS, a 2010 study conducted by Project Vote noted that supervisors of elections in Florida find that student voter pre-registration and education programs are "tremendously effective" in increasing voter registration and turnout; and

 

     WHEREAS, the 2010 Project Vote study found that states that establish partnerships, actively involve students and teachers, and conduct civic education and voter pre-registration programs have successfully registered many young voters and have engaged the youth population in the elections process; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the County of Hawaii website, the County implements a Young Voter Registration Program "geared toward Junior and Senior students in high school to increase voter awareness and election information as they become eligible to vote"; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Department of Education, in cooperation with the State of Hawaii Office of Elections, is requested to create and implement a Voter

Pre-registration and Education Program for public high school students in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, more specifically, the Program is requested to include:

 

(1)  Information on and assistance with the pre-registration process;

(2)  Information and education on the voting process; and

(3)  Any other components the Department deems necessary to effectuate the purpose and goals of the Program; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to consult with the County Clerk of Hawaii in the creation of the Program; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department's Program is not requested to be implemented for public schools in the County of Hawaii, if implementation of the Program there would duplicate the efforts of the County's Young Voter Registration Program; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2014 and 2015, containing information on the creation and implementation of the Program; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the State Elections Commission, the Chief Election Officer, and the County Clerk of Hawaii.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

Report Title:

Voter Registration; Pre-Registration of Minors.