S.B. 780 Summary

• Requires election ballots issued by the chief election officer and county clerks to exclude candidates disqualified under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Article XVI Section 3 of the Hawaii State Constitution, or other constitutional or statutory provisions.

• Establishes a process for challenging a candidate's inclusion or exclusion on a ballot, with challenges filed in Hawaii Supreme Court no later than 57 days before the general election and a court decision required by the 53rd day before the election.

• Adds candidate disqualification as grounds for election contest complaints in the Hawaii Supreme Court, with the complainant bearing the burden of proof by preponderance of the evidence or higher constitutional standard.

• Specifies that presidential and vice presidential electors and alternates must be registered voters not disqualified under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, Hawaii State Constitution Article XVI Section 3, or other constitutional or statutory provisions.

• Creates a contested presidential electors' committee process to hear disputes over elector nominations, including whether electors are disqualified, with determinations due by 4:30 p.m. on October 30 of the election year.