Hawaii's leading Democratic candidates for Congress do not even live in urban Honolulu, the city they want to represent following next month's election.

Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa reside outside the borders of the 1st Congressional District, a fact that Republican candidate and Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou notes.

“;It's ridiculous that neither Ed nor Colleen will be able to vote for themselves in this upcoming election, when they're asking others to vote for them,”; said Djou, 39, who lives in Hawaii Kai.

If either Democrat wins, both of Hawaii's congressional representatives will live outside their districts. U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono was elected in 2006 to represent rural Oahu and the neighbor islands, but she lives within the urban Honolulu district.

The U.S. Constitution requires members of Congress to be residents of the states they serve, but it does not say they have to live inside their districts.

“;It's a factor for voters to consider,”; said Case, who lives in Kaneohe, where Djou lived less than a decade ago. “;But the real question is not where one lives, but who best knows, understands and represents a district and its people. I've spent far more of my life in the 1st than either of my principal opponents.”;

Hanabusa, who lives in Kapolei, said both Case and Djou have moved in and out of districts in past runs for office. “;As president of the Hawaii state Senate, I have tackled legislative topics and problems that span the entire state ... and therefore am well aware of the kinds of issues that people in the district care about,”; Hanabusa, 58, said in a statement.

Case, 57, represented Manoa in the state Legislature for eight years.

In all, at least five of the 14 candidates running in the May 22 special election live outside the district, according to the Office of Elections. Three do not live on Oahu.