Advisory committee says federal registration bills could narrow access to Hawaii’s vote‑by‑mail system

HONOLULU — The Statewide Elections Accessibility Needs Advisory Committee met Feb. 18 to examine how recent federal proposals and local requests to return to same‑day in‑person voting could affect Hawaii’s vote‑by‑mail system and voters with disabilities.

Vice Chair James Gashel opened the meeting noting Hawaii moved to a mail‑in voting system under a 2019 law and ran its first mail‑in election in 2020. Gashel said subsequent changes — including a 2021 law allowing electronic ballot return — improved accessibility for many voters but that proposed federal bills merit scrutiny for their potential effects on registration and assistance rules.

The committee heard from two national disability advocates. San Ho, legal program coordinator at the National Federation of the Blind, said the House‑passed Save America Voter Eligibility Act focuses on registration and would require photo identification such as a passport and current documentation to register. "The Save Act ... would require that someone use, photo ID, passport, etcetera to be able to register to vote," San Ho said, warning that the documentation and maintenance requirements could narrow the pool of people who are eligible to register and keep their registration current.

Stephanie Flint McGavin, public policy analyst at the National Disability Rights Network, said the bills under discussion are primarily about registration rather than the mechanics of returning a ballot. She told the committee that some companion measures — including legislation called the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act in the House — contain provisions that could criminalize assistance to voters and would raise serious accessibility concerns in a state that conducts elections primarily by mail.

Office of Elections staff represented in the meeting clarified how registration currently works in Hawaii and what safeguards exist. Staff said Hawaii supports online registration as well as in‑person and paper application routes; the registration form asks for a Hawaii driver’s license or state ID number, and if neither is available, applicants may give the last four digits of their Social Security number. Staff confirmed there is no requirement to submit a birth certificate to register.

Committee members and the panelists traded questions about whether the current bills ban electronic ballot return (panelists said they had not seen language outlawing electronic return in the versions they reviewed) and whether universal mail‑in voting would be replaced by an opt‑in model requiring repeated applications. Don Ho observed that the House text would still allow online registration but would require submission of documentation that many voters may not have readily available.

Public testimony reinforced the panelists’ concerns. Anne Da Silva Williams, who identified herself as blind and said she has voted in national elections since 1972, described using Hawaii’s electronic ballot option in 2024 and receiving both email and text confirmations of ballot submission. "I voted independently, and it was great," Williams said, urging the committee to preserve private, independent voting.

The committee asked staff to prepare a consolidated report combining testimony from the Dec. 10, 2025 meeting with material from this session for distribution to county elections divisions, the Office of Elections and the legislature; members said they will consider the compiled report at a future meeting. The group approved the Dec. 10 minutes earlier in the session and adjourned after setting tentative meeting windows for mid‑April, mid‑July, late September/early October and mid‑December.

What happens next: staff will track down the three bills panelists referenced and prepare the consolidated report for committee review ahead of the next scheduled meeting.