OHA moves ahead
on election for delegatesThe vote will begin the complex
process of creating a native
Hawaiian government
The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs hopes to enroll at least 100,000 eligible voters to elect delegates to begin the process of forming a new native Hawaiian government.
Enrollment begins with a kickoff event at 11 a.m. Saturday at Aliiolani Hale near the Kamehameha statue in downtown Honolulu. Saturday is the 111th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
OHA hopes to complete the elections in time for a delegate convention in September or October.
Adults with any amount of Hawaiian blood are eligible to sign up and vote. The registration form asks Hawaiians to verify their ancestry through certified copies of birth, marriage and/or death certificates. Individuals who have previously submitted ancestry verification documents to Kamehameha Schools, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, OHA's Operation Ohana program or OHA's Hawaiian Registry program can opt to authorize release of those documents by the agencies.
Verification can also be made through acceptable genealogy or other legal methods.
OHA Administrator Clyde Namuo believes 100,000 is a conservative goal that is easily achievable.
"There are 220,000 Hawaiians that live here in Hawaii. There are about the same number that live across the continent. And all of those Hawaiians would be eligible to sign up," he said.
Hawaiians living in other parts of the world also are eligible.
In 1998 there were 100,163 Hawaiians registered to vote in the OHA elections. The number of Hawaiians who cast ballots was 64,806. In 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's Hawaiians-only voting restriction, which opened the OHA elections to all Hawaii voters.
OHA Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona said the creation of a Hawaiian governing body is the only way to protect native Hawaiian rights. She lauded U.S. District Judge Susan Mollway's ruling Wednesday rejecting a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of OHA.
"This decision, while truly a significant milestone, does not remove native Hawaiian programs from harm's way," Apoliona said.
The attorney for the plaintiff in the lawsuit has already indicated he plans to appeal the ruling.