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Special election set to fill Hawaii’s District 1 seat in Congress

BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

The state Office of Elections will hold a special election in conjunction with the Nov. 8 general election to decide who will serve out the last two months of the unfinishedterm of the late U.S. Rep. Mark Takai.

The state Office of Elections will hold a special election in conjunction with the Nov. 8 general election to decide who will serve out the last two months of the unfinished term of the late U.S. Rep. Mark Takai.

The congressman died July 20 after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

The election to fill a vacancy in Hawaii’s First Congressional District, which represents urban Honolulu, will be held in conjunction with the regularly scheduled general election on this same date.

Candidate filing for the special election starts Aug. 15 at wraps up at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25, according to a news release.

The candidate filing process allows qualified individuals to have their name appear on the ballot. Prospective candidates may obtain and file a nomination paper at the Office of Elections.

To obtain an application for a nomination paper, and to view the proclamation go to www.elections.hawaii.gov.

4 responses to “Special election set to fill Hawaii’s District 1 seat in Congress”

  1. Hitaxpayer says:

    This is really stupid. We are going to spend all this money for special election for two months. Just anoint Hanabusa already. We all know that is a done deal.

    • Kuihao says:

      Duh, the Constitution requires it. And it’s going to take place with the general election, so how much more money will that take? And yes, Hanabusa is likely to win both the special election and the general election that day, but does that mean we shouldn’t vote? Maybe it’s a reflection of the fact that she’s clearly the best candidate.

  2. Cellodad says:

    I’m a little confused. Why in this case couldn’t the Governor appoint someone to serve the remainder of Mr. Takai’s term (and be eligible to run in the general election) and still have the winner of the general election take over when the new term begins in January. Did I miss something crucial here?

    • popoki says:

      The U.S. Constitution directs state governors to issue “writs of election” to fill House vacancies. For Senate vacancies, the Constitution allows the states to give their governors the authority to fill Senate vacancies until the next election.

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