HI HB2019

Establishes instant runoff voting procedures for federal, state, or county elections not held on regularly scheduled primary or general election dates, conducted by mail as a single election with no separate runoff.

Allows voters to rank candidates by preference up to four places; if no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, the candidate with fewest votes is eliminated and votes are transferred according to voter rankings until one candidate achieves a majority.

If no candidate achieves a majority after four rounds of tabulation, the candidate with the most first choice votes following the fourth round is declared the winner regardless of majority status.

Requires election officials to adopt rules for mechanical, electronic, or other means of marking, sorting, counting ballots and tabulating votes using the instant runoff method, with ballots designed to be simple and easy to understand.

Effective July 1, 2030; requires the chief election officer and county clerks to adopt implementing rules by December 31, 2016.