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Ballot Measure: Article XI- Initiative and Referendum, Hawai’i county Charter.

THE POWER OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

The Power of the people to write or repeal laws

A check and balance on a non-responsive government.

The League of Women Voters asks you to vote YES! in November

Ballot measure: Initiative and Referendum

Proposed Changes to the Hawai’i County Charter Article XI: Initiative and Referendum

  • Remember the problems encountered during the 2% for the Land Fund Petition initiative Drive?  This Charter amendment makes this process more “user-friendly.”
  • The process of Petition Initiative and Referendum protects the right of citizens to write or change laws.  This ballot measure is a re-write of Article Xl in clear, unambiguous language and provides guidelines to assure that the process is fair for all participants, citizens and the county.

The proposed Charter re-write for Article Xl A summary:

1.    Reorganizes the Charter amendment into a more chronological order of the process, in clear language (not legalese), which is easier to follow and fair to both citizens and the County.

2.    Provides safeguards, procedures and time periods to approve the petition forms, ballot title, ballot question and ballot summary. The Hawaii County Clerk provides a sample petition form and works with the committee to craft the petition form, the ballot title, ballot question and the ballot summary early in the process.

3.    Provides a deadline for council action, which guarantees that the ballot question of a qualifying initiative or referendum will be placed on the ballot in language acceptable to the citizen’s committee.

4.    Provides specific criteria to verify signatures. The voter’s name, last four digits of the social security number and the month and day of the birthday must be reasonably similar to the information contained on their voter’s registration card or the general register of the County of Hawaii.

5.    Petition circulators are not required to have their signatures notarized before turning in signed petitions, but are required to sign a statement that they had the proposed legislation available for petition signers and that the signer had signed in their presence.  The petitions are required to state if circulators are paid or not paid.

6.    Provides a section with definitions.

7.    States that if voters approve the measure, the measure shall become law after the election results are certified.

8.    A law proposed by this Charter Article: Initiative and Referendum may not be modified or repealed within three years of passage, unless approved by two-thirds vote of the County Council.

9.    Explains that a voter choosing not to vote on a ballot measure has no effect on the outcome of the vote; a non-vote has no effect, only people voting for or against the measure will be counted as valid votes.

Questions? Debbie Hecht 989-3222

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WHAT YOU WILL SEE on the ballot ON NOVEMBER 4th:

Under proposed amendments to the Charter, voters will be instructed as follows:

I YOU AGREE, VOTE YES.

IF YOU DISAGREE, VOTE NO.

PROPOSAL 2. Should Article XI of the County Charter, Initiative and Referendum, which authorizes voters to create, approve, or reject laws by popular vote, be amended by 1) providing that ordinances approved by initiative cannot be amended by the County Council for at least three years, except by a two-thirds vote; 2) giving the petitioner’s committee, rather than the County Clerk, ultimate responsibility to provide a ballot title, question, and summary prior to the circulation of any petition; 3) requiring notice if the petition circulators were paid for their services; 4) changing identification requirements for electors signing petitions to add their month and day of birth and the last four digits of their social security number and remove the requirement to include their residence address; 5) requiring the publication in two daily newspapers with the largest circulation the ballot title, question, summary and arguments for and against the measure for three Sundays preceding the election; 6) adding a section of definitions to clarify terms; and 7) extending some of the timeframes for submission and review of petition documents?

Note: If you would like the exact text of the Charter amendment that is proposed-please email me at hecht.deb@gmail.com and I will send you the exact proposed legislation or call 989-3222  Debbie Hecht