{"id":1183,"date":"2018-09-21T16:17:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-22T02:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.concon.info\/?p=1183"},"modified":"2018-11-03T07:40:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-03T17:40:53","slug":"want-term-limits-a-con-con-is-your-only-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.concon.info\/?p=1183","title":{"rendered":"Want Term Limits? A Con Con Is Your Only Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.86″ next_background_color=”#000000″ global_module=”145″][et_pb_fullwidth_header global_parent=”145″ _builder_version=”3.0.89″ text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”on” image_orientation=”center” background_layout=”light” content_orientation=”center” custom_button_two=”off” button_two_icon_placement=”right” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_icon_placement=”right” title_font=”|700|||||||” subhead_text_align=”center” subhead_font=”|700|||||||” background_image=”https:\/\/hawaii.concon.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/HawaiiStateCapitol.jpg” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover=”null” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover=”null” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover=”null” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover=”null” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover=”null” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover=”null” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover=”null” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover=”null” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover=”null” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover=”null”]<\/p>\n

The Hawai\u02bbi <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Information Related to Hawai\u02bbi’s November 6, 2018 State Constitutional Convention Referendum<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title global_parent=”145″ _builder_version=”3.17.5″ categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” disabled_on=”on|on|on” disabled=”on” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text]<\/p>\n

\nHawaii has arguably the least competitive state legislative elections among the 50 U.S. states. At its Aug. 11 primary, 96.2 percent of elected state legislators seeking re-election won. No incumbent is expected to lose in the Nov. 6 general election.<\/p>\n

Another measure of competitiveness is the number of seats in a legislature held by a single party.\u00a0In Hawaii, it\u2019s 93.4 percent, the highest percentage in the United States. In the state Senate, one party holds 100 percent of the seats.<\/p>\n

When the monetary advantage of winning candidates is factored in, Hawaii also comes out at the bottom. According to the National Institute on Money in Politics, 100 percent of Hawaii candidates with both an incumbency and monetary advantage won in the last general election \u2014 the worst among the 50 states.<\/p>\n

In the 2018 primary, all three challengers who beat incumbents were backed by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, one of Hawaii\u2019s most powerful trade associations. One was HSTA\u2019s secretary-treasurer, one of HSTA\u2019s top four positions; another had been deputy director of Hawaii\u2019s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.<\/p>\n

Term limits for state legislators would reduce the excessive level of legislative entrenchment. To be sure, term limits are a second-best solution to this problem. In an ideal world, tackling the many contributing factors to incumbent entrenchment, including legislative redistricting, ethics, transparency, campaign finance, voting rules and ballot access, would be a better solution.<\/p>\n

But the public rightfully trusts the term limits solution because, although imperfect, they know this solution cannot be rigged to favor incumbents.<\/p>\n

In Hawaii, as in other states, legislative terms limits are highly popular. A Civil Beat poll found 68 percent support among all respondents and 81 percent support among respondents expressing support or opposition.<\/p>\n

No Initiative In Hawaii<\/h2>\n

A state constitutional amendment is necessary to enact term limits. But the state Legislature will never place such an amendment on the ballot because it\u2019s not in its institutional self-interest to do so. In contrast, it has acceded to popular opinion on term limits for the governor, lieutenant governor, county mayors and county councilors in part because such term limits don\u2019t directly limit its own power.<\/p>\n

Other states have circumvented state legislature opposition via the constitutional initiative. Although Hawaii lacks that legislative bypass mechanism, it does have the alternative: the periodic state constitutional convention referendum.\u00a0That\u2019s why a convention is Hawaii\u2019s only hope to pass legislative term limits.<\/p>\n

Throughout most of American history, the average term of a state legislator was relatively short. In a world where legislators were predominantly citizen-legislators rather than career-legislators, legislators couldn\u2019t expect to earn a living, let alone make a career, out of serving in office, and voluntary legislator turnover was high, term limits weren\u2019t needed.<\/p>\n

Despite having an arsenal of arguments to oppose term limits, groups opposing term limits will mostly avoid directly attacking such a popular democratic reform. Instead, they will attack the state constitutional convention as a needless, costly, and risky democratic reform mechanism. But what is costly to special interests may be beneficial to the people of Hawaii. Special interests\u2019 organizing and financing the convention opposition in the shadows may be the best reason for the people to support a convention.<\/p>\n

Hawaii\u2019s framers gave the people the gift of the periodic state constitutional convention referendum so the people could bypass the Legislature on democratic reform problems like legislative term limits. We should accept their gift gratefully.<\/p>\n

\n

Source:\u00a0<\/strong>Snider, J.H.,\u00a0Want Term Limits? A Con Con Is Your Only Hope<\/a>, Civil Beat, September 21, 2018.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published in Civil Beat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

Hawaii has arguably the least competitive state legislative elections among the 50 U.S. states. At its Aug. 11 primary, 96.2 percent of elected state legislators seeking re-election won. No incumbent is expected to lose in the Nov. 6 general election.<\/p>

Another measure of competitiveness is the number of seats in a legislature held by a single party.\u00a0In Hawaii, it\u2019s 93.4 percent, the highest percentage in the United States. In the state Senate, one party holds 100 percent of the seats.<\/p>

When the monetary advantage of winning candidates is factored in, Hawaii also comes out at the bottom. According to the National Institute on Money in Politics, 100 percent of Hawaii candidates with both an incumbency and monetary advantage won in the last general election \u2014 the worst among the 50 states.<\/p>

In the 2018 primary, all three challengers who beat incumbents were backed by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, one of Hawaii\u2019s most powerful trade associations. One was HSTA\u2019s secretary-treasurer, one of HSTA\u2019s top four positions; another had been deputy director of Hawaii\u2019s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.<\/p>

Term limits for state legislators would reduce the excessive level of legislative entrenchment. To be sure, term limits are a second-best solution to this problem. In an ideal world, tackling the many contributing factors to incumbent entrenchment, including legislative redistricting, ethics, transparency, campaign finance, voting rules and ballot access, would be a better solution.<\/p>

But the public rightfully trusts the term limits solution because, although imperfect, they know this solution cannot be rigged to favor incumbents.<\/p>

In Hawaii, as in other states, legislative terms limits are highly popular. A Civil Beat poll found 68 percent support among all respondents and 81 percent support among respondents expressing support or opposition.<\/p>

No Initiative In Hawaii<\/h2>

A state constitutional amendment is necessary to enact term limits. But the state Legislature will never place such an amendment on the ballot because it\u2019s not in its institutional self-interest to do so. In contrast, it has acceded to popular opinion on term limits for the governor, lieutenant governor, county mayors and county councilors in part because such term limits don\u2019t directly limit its own power.<\/p>

Other states have circumvented state legislature opposition via the constitutional initiative. Although Hawaii lacks that legislative bypass mechanism, it does have the alternative: the periodic state constitutional convention referendum.\u00a0That\u2019s why a convention is Hawaii\u2019s only hope to pass legislative term limits.<\/p>

Throughout most of American history, the average term of a state legislator was relatively short. In a world where legislators were predominantly citizen-legislators rather than career-legislators, legislators couldn\u2019t expect to earn a living, let alone make a career, out of serving in office, and voluntary legislator turnover was high, term limits weren\u2019t needed.<\/p>

Despite having an arsenal of arguments to oppose term limits, groups opposing term limits will mostly avoid directly attacking such a popular democratic reform. Instead, they will attack the state constitutional convention as a needless, costly, and risky democratic reform mechanism. But what is costly to special interests may be beneficial to the people of Hawaii. Special interests\u2019 organizing and financing the convention opposition in the shadows may be the best reason for the people to support a convention.<\/p>

Hawaii\u2019s framers gave the people the gift of the periodic state constitutional convention referendum so the people could bypass the Legislature on democratic reform problems like legislative term limits. We should accept their gift gratefully.<\/p>

Source:\u00a0<\/strong>Snider, J.H.,\u00a0Want Term Limits? A Con Con Is Your Only Hope<\/a>, Civil Beat, September 21, 2018.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nWant Term Limits? A Con Con Is Your Only Hope - The Hawaii State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.concon.info\/?p=1183\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Want Term Limits? 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