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<br />COMMUNICATION 035 <br />December 9, 2021 <br />(Via Email Only) <br />25 Aupuni Street <br />RE:Testimony for the <br />Public Hearing <br />Dear HawaiiCounty 2021Redistricting Commission: <br />Common Cause Hawaii is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, grassroots organization dedicated to <br />upholding the core values of our representative democracy and ensuring a fair and transparent <br />reapportionment and redistricting process. <br />First, Common Cause Hawaiony on theDecember9, 2021agenda, <br />New Business Item 3Review and discussion of County Charter and Code sections that <br />irecommends that the County Charter be <br />amended to include an additional section that mandates the commission to count incarcerated <br />people at their home addresses as of the Census Date. Including incarcerated persons in the <br />population count for the district in which their facility is located alters representational <br />s incarcerated <br />population according to their home addresses will eliminate this issue and ensure an accurate <br />and true reapportionment of icouncil districts. <br />Common Cause Hawai-17(e) be amended to <br />the Cmandate tohold at least one public hearing in each of the nine council districts <br />prior to completing adraftoftheredistrictingplan, we believe that these hearings should be <br />conducted once a draft plan has been created and approved by the commission; not prior to <br />completing a draft of the redistricting plan. By structuring the public hearing process in this <br />manner, we believe that it will improve public participation and increase attendance at these <br />meetings. More public hearings across County may be had in lieu of the limited one <br />publichearingin eastoneinwest. It would make sense for the <br />County Charter to be amended to provide that atleastonepublichearingineachofthenine <br />councildistricts be had upon completing a draft of the redistricting plan. <br />1 <br /> <br />