Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii SB2143: Relating to the Chief Election Officer.
Status: Signed into law, May 26, 2026
Provides that, in the event of a vacancy in the position of Chief Election Officer, the Attorney General shall serve as the Interim Chief Election Officer until the Elections Commission appoints a new Chief Election Officer.
What the bill says
A bill for an act relating to the chief election officer.
From the enrolled text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER. SECTION 1. Section 11-1.6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows: "(a) The chief election officer shall be appointed by the elections commission, without regard to chapter 76. The appointment shall not be subject to the advice and consent of the senate. In the event of a vacancy [7--fche]2_ (1) The elections commission shall meet expeditiously to select and appoint a new chief election officer to serve the remainder of the unexpired term[-r] ; and (2) Pending the formal selection and appointment of the new chief election officer, the following positions within the office of elections shall temporarily act in the position of chief election officer in the following order of hierarchy: (A) The supervisor of election support services to the extent available to serve, and if not, then; 2026-2498 SB2143 GDI SMA.docx Page 2 S.B. NO. s" H.D. C.D. (B) The general counsel to the extent available to serve, and if not, then; (C) The supervisor of counting center operations to the extent available to serve, and if not, then; (D) The supervisor of ballot operations to the extent available to serve, and if not, then; and (E) The supervisor of voter services to the extent available to serve." SECTION 2. This …
Sponsors
- Karl Rhoads (D, 13) · primary sponsor
- Stanley Chang (D, 9)
- Kurt Fevella (R, 20)
- Troy Hashimoto (D, 5)
- Tim Richards (D, SD-004)
- Joy San Buenaventura (D, 2)
Latest actions
- : Act 025, on 05/22/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1125).
- : Act 025, 05/22/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1125).
- : Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).
- : Enrolled to Governor.
- : Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Reyes Oda, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, Gedeon, Hartsfield, Kila, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Shimizu voting no (9) and none excused (0).
- : Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814).
- : Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 22; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 2 (Senator(s) Awa, Fevella). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga).
- : Deferred one day 05-06-26.
- : Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
- : Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 26-26) as amended in (CD 1).
Votes
- Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Reyes Oda, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, Gedeon, Hartsfield, Kila, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Shimizu v (May 6, 2026): 42 yea, 9 nay, passed
- Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1) (May 1, 2026): 22 yea, 2 nay, passed
- none. (April 27, 2026): 3 yea, 1 nay, passed
- Conference Committee Vote (April 27, 2026): 3 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Third Reading with Representative(s) Kila, Reyes Oda, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Shimizu voting no (6) and Representative(s) Cochr (April 6, 2026): 42 yea, 6 nay, passed
- Second Reading as amended in HD 1; placed on the calendar for Third Reading with Representative(s) Matsumoto, Reyes Oda, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, G (April 1, 2026): 45 yea, 6 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, The Chief Election Officer, Penalties
Common questions
- What is SB2143?
- SB2143 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Relating to the Chief Election Officer.
- What does SB2143 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act relating to the chief election officer.
- What is the status of SB2143?
- Signed into law as of May 26, 2026. Latest action: Act 025, on 05/22/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1125). (May 26, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB2143?
- Karl Rhoads (D, 13), with 5 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB2143?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2143&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.