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Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question (2028)
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2028 | |
| Topic Constitutional conventions | |
| Status On the ballot | |
| Type Automatic referral | Origin Dictated by law |
The Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question is on ballot in Hawaii as an automatic ballot referral on November 7, 2028.
A "yes" vote supports holding a state constitutional convention. |
A "no" vote opposes holding a state constitutional convention. |
In Hawaii, a state constitutional convention question is provided to voters every 10 years after the prior question. Hawaiians addressed a constitutional convention question in 2018.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Constitutional Convention Question is as follows:
| “ | Shall there be a convention to propose a revision of or amendments to the Constitution? | ” |
Background
Constitutional Convention Question (2018)
In 2018, 74.43% of voters rejected the question to call a state constitutional convention. There were no PACs registered to support the question in 2018. Preserve Our Hawaii- Don't be ConConned led the campaign in opposition to the question. Opponents included the ACLU of Hawaii, AFL-CIO of Hawaii, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the National Education Association, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and more.[1][2]
List of constitutional convention questions in Hawaii
According to Section 2 of Article XVII of the Hawaii Constitution, a constitutional convention question is called every 10 years. The following table provides a list of the questions since then and their results:
A constitutional convention happened in Hawaii in 1950 for the purpose of drafting a state constitution so that Hawaii could be admitted as a U.S. state. Six constitutional convention questions have been presented to Hawaiian voters from 1966 onward. Two of them were approved and resulted in the 1968 and 1978 conventions being held. The convention question of 1986 was defeated. The 1996 constitutional convention question was considered to be approved at first, but due to a situation in which many voters left their ballots blank when answering the question, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the question had actually not passed, and therefore no convention was held. The convention question of 1998 was defeated, as was the convention question of 2008. The 2018 question was referred as an automatic ballot referral. The Hawaii Constitution stipulated that a constitutional convention question must be submitted to voters automatically if a nine-year period elapses without such a submission taking place already (i.e. without the legislature referring a constitutional convention question to the ballot).
| Measure | Convention held | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question (1966) | Yes, held in 1968 | |
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention, Amendment 2 (1976) | Yes, held in 1978 | |
| Hawaii Convene a Convention for Constitutional Proposals, Amendment D (1986) | No | |
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention (1996) | No, stalled by litigation | |
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question (1998) | No | |
| Hawaii Constitutional Convention, Question 1 (2008) | No |
Automatic constitutional convention questions
- See also: State constitutional conventions
In 14 states, a constitutional convention question is an automatic ballot referral, meaning no legislative vote is required. Rather, the state constitution includes a provision calling for the question at a specific interval. Oklahoma has a requirement; however, state officials have declined to place a question on the ballot since 1970.
| State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 10 years | 2022 | 2032 |
| Iowa | 10 years | 2020 | 2030 |
| New Hampshire | 10 years | 2022 | 2032 |
| Rhode Island | 10 years | 2024 | 2034 |
| Hawaii | 10 years | 2018 | 2028 |
| Michigan | 16 years | 2010 | 2026 |
| Connecticut | 20 years | 2008 | 2028 |
| Illinois | 20 years | 2008 | 2028 |
| Maryland | 20 years | 2010 | 2030 |
| Missouri | 20 years | 2022 | 2042 |
| Montana | 20 years | 2010 | 2030 |
| New York | 20 years | 2017 | 2037 |
| Ohio | 20 years | 2012 | 2032 |
| Oklahoma | 20 years | 1970 | N/A |
Path to the ballot
- See also: State constitutional conventions
In Hawaii, a state constitutional convention question is provided to voters every 10 years after the prior question. Hawaiians rejected a constitutional convention question in 2018.
Section 2 of Article XVII of the Hawaii Constitution governs the constitutional convention question. The following is Section 2 of Article XVII:
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Section 2. The legislature may submit to the electorate at any general or special election the question, “Shall there be a convention to propose a revision of or amendments to the Constitution?” If any nine-year period shall elapse during which the question shall not have been submitted, the lieutenant governor shall certify the question, to be voted on at the first general election following the expiration of such period.[3]
See also
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Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. News, "Hawaii Coalition Opposes Constitutional Convention," accessed October 15, 2018
- ↑ ‘’Don’t Be ConConned’’, “Home,” accessed October 29, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
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