HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0056 - Testimony - League of Women VotersLEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS®
of Hawaii County
Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy!
To: The Hawai'i County Charter Commission:
Chair Shipman Adams and Vice -Chair Zelko-Schlueter
Commissioners Bergin, Galimba, Hamano, Hopkins, Leithead Todd, Rice, Roehrig,
Saquing, and Springer
Jon Henricks, Hawaii County Clerk
From: Rosemarie Muller, President, League of Women Voters of Hawai'i County
Date: November 26, 2019
Aloha Honorable Charter Commissioners:
We congratulate you on approaching completion of the Charter Commission process. Each of
you took time out of your busy lives to represent the people of Hawai'i County in this important
endeavor. We thank you for your service.
During one of your last meetings, there was a short discussion about combining proposed
amendments to reduce "voter fatigue." You have proposed 21 amendments. We recommend
that each amendment be presented as its own ballot measure and that ballot measures NOT be
combined.
Only three amendments can reasonably be considered "housekeeping" measures: CA1, CA5
and CA25. The rest of the amendments include substantive material. The Charter Commission
of 2010 set a precedent with each of its seventeen amendments standing as a separate ballot
measure. That Commission did not combine amendments.
However, it might be helpful to reorganize the order of the amendments so that those dealing
with the same Charter section or topic would be together.
We strongly support the policy that each proposed amendment to the Charter should be a
separate ballot measure because:
1. Each proposed amendment is on one issue and is important in its own right.
2. The League of Women Voters will be writing objective pros and cons for each ballot issue
to educate voters so they can make informed decisions. Writing clear pros and cons for
combined issues would present an enormous challenge.
3. The result of combining the amendments that emerged from the Commission's work may
lead to voter confusion, which is a far more serious matter than voter fatigue. In November
2020, for the first time, voter fatigue should not be a problem since vote by mail will allow all
voters the ability to consider their ballot choices at leisure and to gather information .
Our second recommendation is that you publish the proposed ballot language at least several
weeks ahead of your public meetings. We trust that you will make the ballot language widely
available and launch a strong publicity campaign to advertise the meetings.
PH: 808-933-8683 • P.O. Box 665 Hilo, HI 96721 • P.O. Box 4478, Kona, HI 96745 • htIps.i(rnylwv orgihawaiiihawalf-county
Comm. No. 56
The League of Women Voters will work to circulate notices of the meetings and afterward, to
educate voters.
Rosemarie Muller
President, League of Women Voters Hawaii County
https://my.lwv org/hawaii/hawall-county
rcmuller27@hotmail.com
631-294-0021
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the
informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of
major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
PH: 808-933-8683 • P.O. Box 665 Hilo, HI 96721 • P.O. Box 4478, Kona, HI 96745 • h4ps://my,lwv.orgihawaiiihawali-county