Legislature approves moving Hawaii election date up in 2012
Associated Press
HONOLULU — The Legislature has approved a bill that will move up the date of Hawaii's primary elections.
The measure passed the House and Senate unanimously Tuesday. It now goes to Gov. Linda Lingle.
A new federal law requires states to distribute absentee ballots to overseas and military voters at least 45 days before a general election. The law is intended to give those voters more time to complete and return their ballots.
Hawaii doesn't now comply because its primary election on the second Saturday of September leaves too little time to certify the results and send out ballots for the general election on the first of November.
The measure would move the primary to the second Saturday of August starting in 2012.
The bill is HB2397.
