Candidates for state House and Senate races will not be able to file for election when the season officially kicks off this Wednesday. But fundraising can get underway.
It all spawns from the Reapportionment Commission under a do-over mandate from the Hawaii Supreme Court. And elections officials today told the commission that more than just candidate filing timing is at stake the longer it takes to draw up voting boundaries for the state’s 76 seats.
Feb. 1 marks the official start of the 2012 election season as the first day candidates can file to run for state and county office -- but this Wednesday, all state House and Senate candidates will have to wait.
"This is the first time it's happened so we don't know what to expect," said Chief Election Officer Scott Nago.
Because reapportionment -- or the drawing of voting lines -- is still not done after a Supreme Court ruling tossing out the commission’s first attempt, it's not yet clear what the state House and Senate districts will be.
“As soon as the lines get finalized,” Nago said, “then candidates can take out nomination papers and file for office.”
Bbut there's still no firm date for that. State and county election officials on Monday implored the Reapportionment Commission to hurry toward a conclusion. Voters have to be sorted into precincts, polling places established, ballots printed & mailed to overseas and absentee voters -- all of this atop an already earlier August primary.
“Without a plan we can't start any of that, and without any of that we can't really get the election off the ground," Nago said.
"If they push us too far back, it's not that we can't get it done, but when they give you a shorter period of time to work, errors can happen,” said Bernice Mau, clerk of the City & County of Honolulu.
While candidates can't officially file with Office of Elections, the Campaign Spending Commission says they can keep up momentum in fundraising.
“It's somewhat business as usual,” said Kristin Izumi-Nitao of the Campaign Spending Commission. “Come call our office, let us know, and if you're a new candidate still file with us. If you're not sure what district you're in, I think for now you're just going to have to use the district that you believe that you're going to be running in."
Once boundaries are drawn, an amended organizational report would be filed for any changes. If a district is dissolved, a campaign can be terminated and contributors refunded.
The Big Island could gain a Senate and House seat, and Oahu could lose the same, with the commission potentially striking 70,000 to 120,000 "nonpermanent residents" such as military and students. The commission set February 23rd as a targeted final meeting, with one full and two county meetings prior. Another nearly $90,000 will be spent, $600,000 previously.
Meanwhile the commission continued to take testimony on a re-mapping that isn't getting any easier. An attempt to add a Senate district to the Big Island drew this response over how the lines split Kona and placed Waimea to the possible benefit of a potential candidate, former Sen. Lorraine Inouye.
“Should this or any similar plan proceed, it will be challenged and exposed for the plain act of gerrymandering it is,” said Sen. Josh Green, (D) Kona-Kohala.
