Civil Beat Poll: Hawaii Voters Seem Ready For A Constitutional Convention

It has been four decades since Hawaii held a constitutional convention. This November, voters will have the opportunity to decide if they wish to hold another one.

Arnold Padgett of Pukalani is inclined to vote “yes.”

“It’s been a long time and there a lot of things that have changed,” he said. “There are issues that need to be brought up.”

According to the Civil Beat Poll, Padgett is among a solid majority (54 percent) who want a constitutional convention, or “con con,” as it is known.

Only 20 percent of registered voters statewide who were surveyed say they oppose a con con. Another 17 percent said they needed more information about it.

The 1978 con con is perhaps best known for establishing the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

It also set term limits for governor and lieutenant governor, required an annual balanced budget, recognized Hawaiian as an official state language and incorporated a right to privacy in the state bill of rights, among other things.

There’s no guarantee that Hawaii will soon have another one. Just six months ago, the Civil Beat Poll showed that 67 percent supported a con con compared with 14 percent opposed.

But the support remains fairly consistent across the board in the latest poll — gender, age, education, income, race and island.

“Even among liberals, moderates and progressives, there is little difference — very minor,” said Matt Fitch, executive director of Merriman River Group, which conducted the poll for Civil Beat. “Same for independents and Republicans, basically identical numbers.”

Fitch added, “People think a con con makes sense because any recommendations that come out of one have to go back to voters for approval anyway.”

Civil Beat polled 967 registered voters May 3-5. The poll, which was conducted on both landlines (68 percent) and cell phones (32 percent), has a 3.2 percentage point margin of error.

Gerry Baldwin of Hilo, however, will vote against a con con.

“I am not at my core opposed to a constitutional convention,” he said. “But I am also of a mind to let sleeping dogs lie. If something is broke, fix it. But I don’t see anything broken right now.”

Baldwin did say he was open to a debate “if we need to make things better.”

But the former Texas resident said the Lone Star State is an example of where the Legislature can’t pass laws and where there is a weak governor, and where everything becomes a constitutional referendum.

“The government is all bolloxed up,” he said. “Our Legislature is capable of doing business. If they don’t, vote them out and vote someone else in.”

But to Padgett of Pukalani, there are issues that a con con could address.

“I do believe term limits are an issue, and I’d like to see that,” he said. “Some people get in and they are there forever. It would be good to have some turnover, a lot of new blood with a lot of good ideas. That may help.”

Padgett also expressed concerns about the outsiders buying up Hawaii land and properties. While the counties have made some progress regarding transient rental accommodations such as Airbnb, “the state has done nothing to show the way, to point the way.”

The Legislature failed for three sessions in a row to solve the Airbnb issue. And it routinely ignores proposals for term limits.

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Read the complete Civil Beat Poll results below: