S.C.R. 174 Summary

• Requests county clerks of Hawaii, Maui, Honolulu, and Kauai counties to coordinate with the Office of Elections to create and execute a transition plan for rural voters adapting to all-mail voting elections.

• Encourages counties to establish additional voter service centers in rural communities to support the transition, in addition to the required single voter service center at each county clerk's office.

• Addresses concerns that Act 136 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2019) mandating statewide all-mail elections beginning with the 2020 primary lacks transition provisions, particularly for rural areas where voters historically relied on in-person and same-day registration voting.

• Notes that while 90 percent of Hawaii's population lives in urban areas, the remaining 10 percent in rural areas should not be neglected during the conversion to all-mail voting.

• Requires transmission of certified copies to county clerks, the Comptroller of the Department of Accounting and General Services, and the Chief Election Officer of the Office of Elections.