The Independent View: Electionline Weekly March 31, 2016

Legislative Updates

Hawaii: A bill pending in the Legislature would require the State to issue ballots in English and in the Hawaiian language. Currently some counties are required to also offer ballots in Japanese, Cantonese and Ilocano, but under the proposed legislation, all ballots would have to be offered in English and Hawaiian. "I thought it was a little silly that we don't already have the Hawaiian language on the ballot - it's an official language," Rep. Kaniela Ing, who introduced the bill told The Maui News.

Louisiana: The Senate voted 24-11 against Bill 164 to loosen up the rules around absentee voting. Currently only those who will be away from their home parish on Election Day for specific reasons like military service or college. The bill sought to ease those restrictions.

Maine: A bill that would move Maine from a Caucus state to a Primary state has the support of city and town officials as well as the state’s Secretary of State. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said he would support a Primary being held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

New Hampshire: The Senate has defeated a bill that would have allowed for online voter registration.

Rhode Island: This week both chambers of the General Assembly gave final approval to allow Rhode Island to offer online voter registration. The legislation, which is now on its way to the Governor’s desk, also allows the state to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Developed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, ERIC uses the voter registration rolls of member states, as well as several other databases, including DMV records, Social Security Administration records, and the Postal Service’s National Change of Address Registry, to compare voting lists. Using advanced algorithms, ERIC then determines inaccuracies in member states’ lists — who has moved, who has died, and who is eligible to vote but is not yet registered.

Tennessee: The House Government Operations Committee has approved legislation that would allow residents to register online to vote. Those using the online system would still be required to provide personally identifying information, such as a driver’s license number, for verification purposes. The bill now moves to the House Finance Committee.