Hawaii can't afford Congressional election

HONOLULU – Cash-strapped Hawaii can't afford to pay for an election to replace a congressman who is planning to step down next month to run for governor, potentially leaving 600,000 urban Honolulu residents without representation in Washington. Budget cuts have left the state Office of Elections with about $5,000 to last until July, with a special election costing nearly $1 million, interim Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago said. Until the state finds money or this fall's regularly scheduled elections occur, one of Hawaii's two seats in the House of Representatives will remain vacant. "Democracy depends on representation of the people," Jean Aoki, legislative liaison for the Hawaii chapter of the League of Women Voters. "I can't imagine the citizens of our state not wanting representation in the highest body in the land to make laws. It's just unthinkable." Elections officials are hoping to hold a vote-by-mail special election May 1 if they can get the $925,000 it would cost. An election with walk-in voting would cost $1.2 million.

news.yahoo.com...

Amazing. I didn't think this would be coming out of Hawaii to be honest. I figured this would happen in California, Michigan, or another state that his facing huge budget shortfalls.

What's worse about this is that an ENTIRE state..albeit a small one....will be losing half of it's representation in the House of Representatives.

THis may be another example of what is going to come.

Hmmm...My whole take on this boils down to Hawaii doing something that many other States are doing right now; exercising their Lawful Sovereignty as a State under the 9th & 10th Amendments. So far 46 States have completely rejected the Feds' enforcement concerning the Real ID (& its spinoffs, such as the Pass ID). I figure that, if Hawaii were to also step up on exercising their State Sovereignty a bit more, they could disband whatever current agencies & organizations exist that already run counter to the US Constitution & their State Constitution...Then they could move some of that money saved towards holding the elections! Whatever money might be left over could also bolster whatever Constitutionally-established programs they currently have, in further service to the People of the State.

I'm not familiar with Hawaii's current state of politics & economy, but this is just my opinion on what they could do in this situation.