Considering how low voter turnout can be in Hawaii elections, the vote count in some of the state’s smaller races can be pretty small. And in too many cases, the tallies for the competing candidates can be narrow enough to require a recount, under current law.

So it’s nice to see the passage of House Bill 129, which raises the bar a bit on mandatory recounts — the first bill of this legislative session to be signed into law. It’s a simple, straightforward improvement, and as first bills go, the state could have done worse.