HONOLULU, May 1, 2008 — Both Houses of the Hawaii Legislature today overrode the governor’s veto of the National Popular Vote bill and enacted the bill into law (Status of SB 2898).      Op-Ed by State Representative Brower      Honolulu Advertiser article

On April 2, 2008, the Hawaii legislature sent the National Popular Vote bill ( SB 2898 ) to Governor Linda Lingle. The bill passed the Senate by a 20-4-1 vote on March 2 and passed the House by a 39-8-4 vote (Status of SB 2898).    Star Bulletin article

On March 4, 2008, both Houses of the Hawaii Legislature passed the National Popular Vote bill (HB 3013   Status of HB 3013   SB 2898   Status of SB 2898). On February 6, 2008, SB 2898 was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee (Testimony). On February 5, HB 3013 was passed by the House Judiciary Committee (Testimony).

On May 3, 2007, the Hawaii House of Representatives adjourned without voting on whether to override Governor Linda Lingle's veto of the National Popular Vote bill (SB 1956) (Status of SB 1956). On May 1, the Hawaii Senate voted 20-5 to override the Governor's veto. The bill was the last item on the House calendar when the House adjourned sine die on May 3. The final fate of the bill, which previously passed both houses of the legislature by more than a two-thirds vote, may be considered during a subsequent veto session.

On April 5, 2007, the bill passed the House of Representatives by a 35-12 vote. On February 14 the Senate passed the bill by a 19-4 vote.
Honolulu Star Bulletin story
Op-Ed: Make a Vote Cast in Hawaii as Important as a Vote in New Hampshire and Ohio

Hawaii State Senator Colleen Hanabusa has introduced the National Popular Vote bill (SB 1956) into the Hawaii Legislature.

In January 2007, the National Popular Vote bill (HB 234) (Status of HB 234) was introduced by 10 Hawaii State Representatives Maile S. L. Shimabukuro, Blake K. Oshiro, K. Mark Takai, Tommy Waters, Joe Bertram III, Faye P. Hanohano, Sharon E. Har, Michael Y. Magaoay, Karl Rhoads, and Clift Tsuji.

According to Representative Waters,

"the current system of allocating a state's electoral votes in presidential elections on a statewide winner-takes-all basis divides the country along regional lines, undermines accountability, creates a limited number of 'battleground' states, dampens voter participation, and can result in the election of a presidential candidate who did not prevail in the national popular vote. The purpose of this Act is to require the State to enter into an interstate compact with other states that would obligate Hawaii's chief election officer to certify to the governor the names of the presidential electors of the same political party as the candidates for president and vice president receiving the highest number of votes in the national popular vote."

News Article

Under the current system of electing the President, a candidate may win a majority of the Electoral College without having a majority of the nationwide popular vote. The National Popular Vote bill would reform the Electoral College by guaranteeing the Presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia). The bill would enact the proposed interstate compact entitled the "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." The compact would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the membership of the Electoral College (that is 270 of 538 electoral votes). Under the compact, all of the members of the Electoral College from all states belonging to the compact would be from the same political party as the winner of nationwide popular vote. Thus, the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia) will be guaranteed a majority of the Electoral College, and hence the Presidency. Because the compact guarantees a majority of the Electoral College to the winner of most popular votes nationwide, the compact has the additional benefit of eliminating the possibility that a presidential election might be thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives (with each state casting one vote).