The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-03-08
SICK VOTERS
REGISTRATION ACT
QUITE AN ANIMATED DEBATE
ON THE HOUSE BILL AND THE
SENATE AMENDMENT

! L.
a measure Of much Importance came
! up for discussion i'm the Senate this
morning and after a long debate con-
sideraton was deferred until later. The
measure is House Bill No. 80, entitled
an act to provide for the voting of
qualified elector who has failed to re-
gister.
The act as passed by the House is as
! follows:
| Section 1. At all election each quail
| fed elector who shall have registered
! as a voter according TO law shall be
entitled TO vote thereat if a failure to
register is caused by sickness or abb
sence during the last preceding regis
| tration period, but before such per-
sons vote shall be accepted he shall
make an affidavit in writing, duly cor
roborated by the affidavit of two qua
! lifted electors of the precinct at which
he offers to vote that he is a qualified
elector of the Territory and of the
precinct in which he offers to vote,
giving his place of residence as near
as may be and stating the length of
time he has resided in his representa-
I tive district and in the Territory and
that such person offering to vote was
absent or by sickness unable to register
during the last preceding registration
! period. Such affidavit shall be admin
| istered by one of the inspectors of cleo
ton without charge and shall be re-
turned by them with the poll lists
Section 2. All laws and parts of laws
! in conflict herewith are hereby repeal
ed
The Senate Judiciary committee re-
ported favOrably on the bill but with
the following amendments:
Section l. No qualified elector shall
! be disqualified from voting by reason
of his failure to register if such fail
ure be caused by sickness or absence
from the Territory during the last pre-
ceeding registration period, provided
that he shall make and present to the
Board of Registration not lateer than
the day preceding any election an af-
fidavit in writing showing that his
| failure to REGISTER was caused by such
sickness or absence, and shall also set
forth in said affidavit his place of resi-
! dence and the facts necessary to show
that he is a qualified voter in said pre-
cinct, and shall prove before said Board
bv affidavit of two qualified electors of
the precinct in which he offers to vote
that he is a qualified elector Of the
Territory and of the said precinct, stat
ing the Length of time said elecor has
rfesided in his representative district
and n the Territory( and that such
person offered to vote was absent from
the Territory or by reason of sickness
unable to register during the last pre-
cedong registration period. The afore-
said afidavits shall be subscribed and
sworn to before a member of the Board
Of Registration.
If it shall appear from said aftidavits
and be manifest to the Board of Re-
gistration that said elector desiring
to vote has failed to register because
of sickness or absence from the Terri
tory as aforesaid, such Board shall i'm
medately remedy such failure to re-
gister by adding the name of such cleo
tor to the register Of voters, and If a
, COPY of the register has been sent &c
the election precinct in which said cleo
tor is entitled to vote, shall Immediate
lily in writing order the inspectorse OF
election of such precinct to correct
such copy of the register by adding the
name of such eector. Such order shall
set forth the reasons for the action
directed to be taken, and shall be re-
tanned and filed by the inspectors OF
election as a part of the records of the
election"
When the report and the bill were
considered there was a very marked
division of sentiment. The out of town
members opposed the change in the bill
while those of the members from Oahu
and Senator Knudsen of Kauai ex-
pressed themselves as favoring the
bill.
Senatr Makekau of Hamakua strong
ly urged that the amendment be not
passed but that the bill in it's original
form he adopted. He told of the diff
gculty attending the registration to
people living in the outside districts.
Senator Coelho of Maui supported
| the contention. Senator Hewitt of
Hawaii spoke the difficulty of the re-
sidents in the outer DISTRICTS and urged
that the original bill be passed. Sen
ator Chillignworth of oahu supported
the amendment. Senators CoelhO and
Makekau continued to argue against
1.-THE amendment Senator Knudsen
was against the original bill and sup
ported the amendment,
Senator Smith spoke at considerable
length. He urged that it was a very
important matter and while some hard
ships might be occasioned by reason
of the board OFF registration not being
able to make more etended visoits in
certain localities it was best to guard
against the possibilities of whosale
frauds in voting be prepetrated. ''t
Chllingworth threw a bombshell by
stating that the bill in its original
form would be knocked out because
the Organic Act provided that the last
day of registration was to be on Oc-
tober 10, whereas under the bill the
registration of a voter would be ex-