HB297 • 2026

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Elections

Active

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

Sponsor: PIERICK, ALCOS, GARCIA, MATSUMOTO, MURAOKA, REYES ODA, SHIMIZU, WARD
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms or funding sources, leaving those aspects unclear.

Voter Service Centers for Elections

This bill requires each county council district to have at least one voter service center available during elections, with one open on election day.

What This Bill Does

Requires that every county council district must have a voter service center for elections.
Specifies that there should be at least one voter service center in operation on election day within each county council district.

Who It Names or Affects

Voters who will use voter service centers during elections.
County clerks responsible for setting up and managing voter service centers.

Terms To Know

voter service center: A place where voters can go to register, update their registration information, or vote in person during an election.
county council district: An area within a county that is represented by members of the local government's council.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if public buildings are unavailable for voter service centers.
It remains unclear how this requirement will be enforced or funded.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1
2025-01-17 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-16 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Voter Service Centers; Elections; Accessibility; Minority Caucus Package
Requires that each county council district feature at least one voter service center for elections. Provides further, that each county council district must have one voter service center open on election day.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB297

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

297

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to elections
.

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

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SECTION
1
.
�
Section
11-92.1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

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"
�11-92.1
�
Election proclamation; establishment
of a new precinct; voter service centers and places of deposit; changes to
precinct boundaries.
�
(a)
�
The clerk shall issue a proclamation listing
all voter service centers and places of deposit, including the days each voter
service center and place of deposit is open and the hours of operations and
location of each voter service center and place of deposit, as may have been
determined by the clerk as of the proclamation date and whenever a new precinct
is established in any representative district.
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There shall be at least one voter service
center for each county council district.
�

On election day, each county council district shall feature one voter
service center open for in-person voting.
�

The clerk shall make arrangements for the rental or erection of suitable
shelter for the establishment of a voter service center whenever public
buildings are not available and shall cause these voter service centers to be
equipped with the necessary facilities for lighting, ventilation, and equipment
needed for elections on any island.
�
This
proclamation may be issued jointly with the proclamation required in section
11-91.

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(b)
�

No change shall be made in the boundaries of any precinct later than
4:30 p.m. on the tenth day before the close of filing for an election.

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(c)
�

Notwithstanding subsection (a), and pursuant to section 15-2.5, the
clerk is not required to establish voter service centers for precincts affected
by natural disasters, as provided in section 15-2.5."

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SECTION 2.
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New statutory material is underscored.

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SECTION 3.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Voter
Service Centers; Elections; Accessibility; Minority Caucus Package

Description:

Requires
that each county council district feature at least one voter service center for
elections.
�
Provides further, that each county
council district must have one voter service center open on election day.

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