RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Budget Elections

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: TARNAS, AMATO, BELATTI, GARCIA, GARRETT, GRANDINETTI, ILAGAN, IWAMOTO, KILA, KITAGAWA, KUSCH, MARTEN, MIYAKE, OLDS, PERRUSO, POEPOE, REYES ODA, SHIMIZU, SOUZA, TEMPLO
Last action: 2026-03-10
Official status: Referred to JDC/EIG, WAM.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific dollar amounts or exact dates when funds will be available.

Election Funding Bill

This bill provides funding for counties to open more voter service centers, prints and mails a digital guide to all registered voters, and funds outreach efforts by the Office of Elections.

What This Bill Does

Appropriates money to the counties to set up additional voter service centers for in-person voting on election day.
Allocates funding for the Office of Elections to print and mail a digital voter information guide to all registered voters.
Provides funds for the Office of Elections to support public outreach campaigns aimed at increasing voter participation.

Who It Names or Affects

Registered voters
Counties responsible for setting up voter service centers
The Office of Elections

Terms To Know

Voter Service Centers: Places where people can go to vote in person on election day.
Digital Voter Information Guide: A guide sent to voters with information about the upcoming elections and how to participate.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify exact amounts of money for each county or the Office of Elections.
It is unclear when the funds will be available for use by the counties and the Office of Elections.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allocates funds to increase voter service centers, print and mail digital voter information guides, and support a public outreach campaign.

Appropriates money for counties to open more voter service centers on election day in fiscal year 2026-2027.
Allocates funding for the Office of Elections to print and mail digital voter information guides to all registered voters.
Provides funds for a public outreach campaign by the Office of Elections to encourage greater voter participation.

The exact dollar amounts for each appropriation are not specified in the amendment text.

Bill History

2026-03-10 S
Referred to JDC/EIG, WAM.
2026-03-06 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-06 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 14).
2026-03-05 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-05 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 868-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-02-26 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-02-24 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 02-26-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-10 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).
2026-02-09 H
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 102-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2026-02-03 H
The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Cochran, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem.
2026-01-30 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 02-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1
2026-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-14 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Elections; Appropriations ($)
Appropriates funds to: (1) the counties for more voter service centers for in-person voting; (2) the Office of Elections to print and mail the digital voter information guide to all registered voters; and (3) the Office of Elections to support a public outreach and engagement campaign to encourage greater voter participation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1525

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1525

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to elections
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the counties to open
additional voter service centers for in-person voting on election day.

����
The sum shall
be allocated as follows:

����
(1)
�
$
to the city and county of Honolulu;

����
(2)
�
$
to the county of Hawaii;

����
(3)
�
$
to the county of Kauai; and

����
(4)
�
$
to the county of Maui.

����
The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the city and county of Honolulu, county of
Hawaii, county of Kauai, and county of Maui, as applicable, for the purposes of
this Act.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the office of
elections to
print and mail
the digital voter information guide, as identified in section 11-122, Hawaii
Revised Statutes, to all registered voters
.

����
The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the office of elections for the purposes of
this Act.

����
SECTION
3.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the office of
elections to support a public outreach and engagement campaign to encourage
greater voter participation.

����
The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the office of elections for the purposes of
this Act.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Elections;
Appropriations

Description:

Appropriates
funds to:
�
(1) the counties for more
voter service centers for in-person voting; (2) the Office of Elections to print
and mail the digital voter information guide to all registered voters; and (3)
the Office of Elections to support a public outreach and engagement campaign to
encourage greater voter participation.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.