Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Hawaii Scores “D” on Citizen Initiative rights
By News Release @ 10:48 AM :: 20025 Views :: Hawaii County , Akaka Bill, Honolulu County, Democratic Party, Kauai County, DHHL, Maui County, Education K-12, Energy, Environment

(Initiatives on the County level have included: Kauai Ohana in 2006-2007 attempting to use the initiative process to defeat high property taxes, Stop Rail activists who won the opportunity to vote on rail, and others who have used initiative for various causes on the Big Island.)

From – Citizens in Charge 

Citizens in Charge Foundation has created this report card to give a clearer picture of the extent to which residents of various states have the ability to affect their government through the initiative and referendum process. The startlingly low grades received by a majority of the states should serve as a rallying point for citizens around the country. Even the relatively higher grades of what might be called “the initiative states” show, in most cases, major room for improvement.

As governments have grown at local, metropolitan, state, and federal levels, the power of entrenched factions has also grown, vis-à-vis the citizenry. Traditional representative government has proven unreliable in restraining itself constitutionally, often to the point of uniting all branches of America’s distributed powers against the very people it was meant to serve. Institutions of direct democracy have evolved to help restore this balance of power, in effect fulfilling a basic promise of republican governance: The right to petition
government. Initiative and referendum thus serve as an expansion and perfection of one of the most basic principles of a limited republic.

In order to draw appropriate comparisons across all 50 states, Citizens in Charge Foundation looked at the most prominent and consistent factors affecting the people’s ability to petition government. Examining state constitutions and legal codes, we looked at what outlets for citizen-led government were provided — statewide citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, statewide statutory initiative, statewide referendum, the existence of a local initiative and referendum process, and the breadth of local processes — and awarded points accordingly.

We then noted the restrictions that states have placed in the way of citizens petitioning their government — short circulation periods, high signature requirements, bans on campaign workers from other states circulating petitions, bans or limitations on paying campaign workers who circulate petitions by the number of signatures they collect, and requirements that petitions be circulated according to a geographical/political distribution — and deducted points for each restriction.

(Twenty States scored better than Hawaii.  Twenty were tied [including Hawaii] with a “D”.   Ten states scored “F”.)

  *   *   *

Hawaii’s Initiative & Referendum Rights -- Local Initiative—3 points

Hawaii citizens do not have any statewide initiative and referendum rights. A majority of state citizens do enjoy local initiative and referendum rights.

Residents of Hawaii municipalities enjoy the power of local initiative and referendum. A majority of citizens in the state can affect laws and initiate government reforms at the local level.

To improve its score, Hawaii should Expand Citizen Access:

• Allow citizens to propose state constitutional amendments: Hawaii could earn three points by creating a process for citizens to amend the state constitution through initiative.

• Allow citizens to propose state laws: Hawaii could earn three points by creating a process for citizens to propose state laws through initiative.

• Allow citizens to put acts passed by the legislature to a referendum vote: Hawaii could earn two points by creating a process whereby citizens can act as a final check on the legislature by putting acts passed by legislators to a vote of the people.

RELATED: 

Akamai Politics Burris:  Does Hawaii need an initiative right? 

HawaiiReporter: Kauai Residents' Property Tax Revolt Case Goes to Hawaii Supreme Court

InverseCondemnation:

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT