Bill Text: HI HCR50 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging An Increase In The Stipend Amounts Of Election Day Officials.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-23 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Evans, C. Lee, Lowen, McDermott, McKelvey, Mizuno, Say, Souki, Tokioka excused (9). [HCR50 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HCR50-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	50
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING AN INCREASE IN THE STIPEND AMOUNTS of ELECTION DAY OFFICIALS.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, each election, volunteers dedicate their time to Hawaii's elections process by serving as election day officials; and

 

WHEREAS, election day officials are integral to ensuring that elections in the State are conducted fairly and efficiently; and

 

WHEREAS, election day officials are recruited to assist voters, provide operational support, and ensure the integrity of the voting process and serve in various capacities as:

 

     (1)  Control center operators who respond to telephone inquiries and requests from polling places using a computer-based call center system;

 

     (2)  Counting center officials who process, tabulate, and disseminate election results;

 

     (3)  Delivery/collection officials who deliver ballots and election supplies to polling places on election morning, and collect voted ballots and election supplies after the polls have closed on election day;

 

     (4)  Election information services officials who respond to general inquiries from the public and forward special circumstances to appropriate officials;

 

     (5)  Facility officials, who set up election equipment at polling places on election eve, provide access to polling places on election day, and disassemble and store the election equipment after the polls close on election day;

 

     (6)  Precinct officials who assist voters at polling places while ensuring the integrity of the voting process; and

 

     (7)  Precinct troubleshooters who monitor the polling places to ensure officials are following standard operating procedures and replenish supplies as necessary; and

 

     WHEREAS, election day officials are compensated according to a stipend schedule that is approved by the Chief Election Officer; and

 

     WHEREAS, stipends per election for election day officials are based on their position, for example, an election information services official is paid a stipend of $85, a counting center official is paid a stipend in the range of $85 to $95, and most precinct officials are paid a stipend of $85 but the stipend ranges from $5 to $175, depending on the scope of responsibilities and other factors; and

 

     WHEREAS, the stipend amount per election varies based on workloads and time differentials or at the Chief Election Officer's discretion, and election expenses are paid out of appropriations made by the Legislature; and

 

     WHEREAS, to serve as an election day official, one must commit to a 60- to 90-minute training session that occurs before the election day; and

 

     WHEREAS, our State relies on a dedicated pool of election day officials who begin work on election day at 5:30 a.m. in time for the polls to open at 7 a.m., and work past 6 p.m., when the polls close; and

 

WHEREAS, some polling places are understaffed because not enough election day officials can be recruited; and

WHEREAS, the stipend amounts for election day officials have not increased since 2006, and increasing the stipend amounts will enable greater retention and recruitment of election day officials, thereby supporting a sustained level of service to voters in the State; and

 

WHEREAS, the scope of responsibilities of election day officials, the length of their work day on election day, and the shortage of volunteers serving as election day officials merit an increase in the stipends of election day officials; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Office of Elections, in consultation with the Legislature, is urged to increase the amounts of the stipends of election day officials; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Election Officer is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2019 regarding its recommendations for increasing the amounts of the stipends for election day officials; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii and the Chief Election Officer.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Elections; Elections Day Officials; Stipends