Marshall's post to be filled by mail-in, walk-in vote
POSTED: Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The city will hold a mail-in ballot special election to fill the City Council vacancy created by the recent death of Councilwoman Barbara Marshall.
Key election dates
Here are important dates regarding an upcoming special election to fill Councilwoman Barbara Marshall's seat: March 9: Last day for candidates to file nomination papers
March 23: Deadline for candidates to file financial disclosure statements
March 24: Last day for Windward Oahu residents to register
April 6 to 21: Walk-in voting at Honolulu Hale
April 23: Last day for ballots to be received. No polling places will be open.
Instructions:
Ballots will be mailed in early March. Ballots must be received before 6 p.m. April 23 in the return envelopes provided.
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The deadline for the city to receive ballots in the mail from registered Windward Oahu voters is April 23. There will not be an official voting day, such as in primary and general elections, but the city plans to have walk-in voting for two weeks at Honolulu Hale.
“;We want to try and provide the highest level of voter participation,”; said City Council Chairman Todd Apo. “;Mailing out ballots to all registered voters instead of a voting day seemed like a good way to go.”;
The City Clerk's Office and Apo made the announcement yesterday, two days after Marshall died from colon cancer.
Since Marshall's diagnosis last summer, she has remained out of many City Council affairs, leaving her constituents in Windward Oahu without much representation.
Her staff vowed to stay on to support Windward Oahu residents until the end of the special election.
“;While her passing has had a tremendous impact on many of us, we owe it to her to provide the community with a true continuity of service,”; her staff said in a joint statement yesterday. “;She always said that any neglect of our community would be completely inexcusable.”;
It will cost about $250,000 to send ballots to the roughly 55,000 registered Windward Oahu voters, according to Bernice Mau, acting city clerk.
“;We're trying to save the city as much money as possible,”; Mau said.
The City Council post pays $45,084 a year,
Candidates interested in running for Marshall's seat would be able to file after the City Council meeting tomorrow afternoon. The term would end in 2012.
These candidates will not have to collect signatures to file to run, unlike in typical elections, Mau said.
Possible candidates include some local politicians that have been out of the political scene and some fresh faces.
Former City Councilmen Steve Holmes and John Henry Felix have expressed interest in running for the seat.
Holmes and Felix served together on the nine-member City Council together during the 1990s. Holmes later went on to join former Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration.
Some new politicians include Marshall's aide Ikaika Anderson and Marshall's former opponent in the 2008 primary election, Leigh Prentiss.
