Comm No 0003.02.01 - Ad Hoc Committee Report - Section 3-2 Composition and Terms of Council Members

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Page 2 of 5 file for the office of councilman shall be able to specify whether they are seeking the seat with a district residence requirement or the seat with no district residence requirement as the case may be. The ballots for the primary and general elections shall be prepared to give every voter in the county the opportunity to vote for each and every council seat. Candidates shall be nominated and elected in accordance with the election laws of the state." At its inception, Section 3-2 provided for a nine -member County Council with six seats having geographical residency requirements and the remaining three seats without any such residency requirements. The elections for these seats were partisan with true primary and general elections. All voters could vote for all of the nine seats to be filled; i.e. all candidates were "elected at -large". Those elected served for four years, with no term limitations. Amendment No. 1: • Single -member council districts • Term reduction (four to two years) • Reapportionment Commission established Section 3-2 was first amended at the General Election on November 6, 1990, via Proposition 1, as offered by the Charter Commission. Proposition 1 provided for single - member council districts and reduced the council term from four to two years. The amendments are illustrated below in Ramseyer format (material that was repealed is bracketed and stricken; material that was added is underscored): "Section 3- 2. Composition and Terms. There shall be a county council composed of nine members [who shall be elected at large for terms of four years.] . One member shall be elected from each of nine districts. The terms of [councilmen] the council members shall be two years and shall begin at twelve o' clock meridian on the first Monday of December after their election. [Of the nine members elected to the county district of Kau, one a resident of the combined districts of North and South Kona, one a resident of the combined districts of North and South Kohala, one a resident of the district of Hamakua, and one a resident of the combined districts of North and South Hilo. The person charged with the duty of conducting elections in the county shall prepare the nomination papers in such a manner that candidates desiring to file for the office of requirement as the case may be. The ballots for the primary and general elections shall be prepared to give every voter in the county the opportunity to vote for each and every council seat.] Candidates shall be nominated and elected in accordance with the election laws of the state."