Kauai voters tired of
sharing legislative
district with other islands

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By Anthony Sommer
tsommer@starbulletin.com

LIHUE >> North Shore Kauai residents have strongly urged the Hawaii Reapportionment Commission to abandon its plan to create a new multi-island district linking North Kauai with Northeast Oahu.

At a commission hearing in Lihue on Monday, dozens of Kauai voters told the commission it was time to abolish districts that combine voters from different islands.

North Shore Kauai currently shares legislators with east Maui. Rep. Mina Morita lives on Kauai. Sen. Avery Chumbley lives on Maui. Kauai has two House districts and one Senate district entirely on the island in addition to the canoe districts, which are called that because someone would have to travel by water from one end of a district to the other.

The redistricting proposal calls for retaining the districts entirely on Kauai, abolishing the Kauai-Maui canoe district and creating new North Kauai-Northwest Oahu canoe districts.

The commission staff said it is bound by a federal court ruling requiring districts to have equal populations, within a 10 percent variance.

But Kauai residents pointed out the federal courts have approved districts that have much greater variances if there is a "rational basis" for disproportionate districts.

Morita did not appear but submitted testimony in which she said, "One cannot escape the perception that this reapportionment plan is driven solely to benefit the island of Oahu, thus making the entire process suspect."

All the commission members live on Oahu, she pointed out.

"A canoe district unfairly discourages people from participating in the system," said Kauai Councilman Gary Hooser.

Several argued a canoe district links people who have no common interests.

"The people on Oahu are not our neighbors. We don't know them," said Martin Rice. "They might as well be living on the mainland."

Commission members provided no response to the testimony.

They are scheduled to vote on the plan on Oct. 25.