HI SCR23

Requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to establish a task force to review Hawaii's current voter education system and propose improvements, including recommendations on costs, best practices, and future system design.

Task force composition includes the Chief Election Officer, county clerks, one appointee each from the Senate President, House Speaker, Senate Minority Leader, and House Minority Leader, one political scientist from the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, and three voter education advocates appointed by Common Cause Hawaii, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and Associated Students of the University of Hawaii.

Task force chair to be elected by two-thirds vote of members.

Preliminary report due to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2020 Regular Session convening, with final report including recommended legislation due no later than twenty days before the 2021 Regular Session convening.

Addresses Hawaii's low voter engagement, citing 39.3 percent overall turnout and 52.7 percent turnout among registered voters in the 2018 general election, with task force to develop nonpartisan, bilingual, and accessible voter education programs.