Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 4, 1 April 1998 — Appeak court refuses to order new eon eon election in Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE]

Appeak court refuses to order new eon eon election in Hawaiʻi

AFEDERAL APPEALS court refused March 20 to order a new election in Hawaii on a state constitutional convention, a proposal defeated in 1996 when blank ballots were counted as "no" votes. However, the question of a whether or not to have a constitutional convention could be up for vote again in

November if the legislature passes a bill placing the issue on the ballot. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is urging Hawaiians and other members of the general public to vote against a eon eon. As for the mling March 20 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, it was determined that the tabulation of blank votes as "no" votes did not violate voters' rights. "It is beyond belief to suggest that thousands of voters who left the convention question blank were secretly relying on the hope that their votes would not be counted," said Judge A. Wallaee Tashima in the 3-0 decision. The 1996 vote was 163,869 in favor, 160,153 against, and 45,245 blank ballots. Before the election, the state

Office of Elections had said in writing, that blank ballots would be disregarded. But in a suit by the state AFLCIO, the Hawai'i Supreme Court mled last year that the wording of the Hawai'i Constitution required approval of a convention by a majority of all ballots cast, including blank ballots. With the blank ballots added to the opposing votes, the proposal was defeated. Hawai'i's constitution requires the legislature to eonsider a vote on a constitutional convention at least onee every decade. The last constitutional convention was in 1978, when it was mandated that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs be established. ■ PIO staff & Associated Press