Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 6, 1 June 2011 — Census 2010 impacts State Legislature [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Census 2010 impacts State Legislature

Eo ē nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino, nā pulapula a Haloa, mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau, puni ke ao mālamalama. Every 10 years the U.S. Census is taken

and all citizens are encouraged to participate to be counted. The tallying of the population by the U.S. Census results in new data on changing demographics and needs of populations and regions. For Hawai'i the eomplehon of the decennial census, in this instance the 2010 Census, triggered an important process relating to the upeoming elections in Hawai'i for 2012.

There are two terms often used interchangeably regarding this process impacting both Congressional and State Legislature elections. Redistricting, the first term, concerns the drawing of representative district lines. Reapportionment, the second, refers to the alloeahon of seats among the basic island units and "is the process of dividing the number of State Representative and State Senate seats among the State's populahon in order to assure, as close as possible, districts of equal size." The U.S. Constitution Article 1 requires that "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States" and while the number of U.S. Senators remains constant at two per State, the U.S. House of Representatives must be apportioned every 10 years based on population, following the U.S. decennial census. The Hawai'i State Constitution and Hawai'i Revised Statutes require that a bipartisan reapportionment Commission be constituted to conduct reapportionment before May 1 of the reapportionment year. The leaders of the Legislature's majority and minority parties name four members eaeh to serve on the Reapportionment Commission. State Senate President appointed Lorrie Lee Stone and Anthony Takitani. State Senate Minority Leader appointed Calvert Chipchase IV and Elizabeth Moore. Speaker of the State House of Representatives appointed Clarice Hashimoto and Harold S. Masumoto. State House of Representatives Minority

Leader appointed Dylan Nonaka and Terry E. Thomason. The eight Commissioners were unable to agree on the ehoiee for the ninth member. As a result the Hawai'i State Supreme Court selected

victona MarKS, wno serves as Chair of the Commission. Additionally, legislative leaders name individuals to serve on the Reapportionment Advisory Council comprised of 16 members, four from eaeh basic island unit - Hawai'i, Kaua'i, Maui, O'ahu. The Advisory Council serves in an advisory capacity to the Commission for matters affecting its island unit. State Senate President

appointed Ka'aina Hull (Kaua'i), Richard Ha (Hawai'i), Nathaniel Kinney (O'ahu) and Christopher Chang (Maui). Senate Minority Leader appointed Miehael Paleie (O'ahu), Joanne Georgi (Kaua'i), Fred Rolfing (Maui) and Barry Lamb (Hawai'i). Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed Randall Nishimura (Kaua'i), Glenn Ida (O'ahu), MarkAndrews (Maui) and James Arakaki (Hawai'i). House of Representatives Minority Leader appointed David Ross (Hawai'i), Madge Schaefer (Maui), Linda Smith (O'ahu) and Laurie Yoshida (Kaua'i). Two important deadlines face the Commission. First, by July 23, 201 1, (100 days after the appointment of the Commission chair), the Commission completes a draft reapportionment plan open for public review and comment. Meetings, with 20 days advance nohee, are to be scheduled statewide to gather input from the public on the Draft Plan. It will be important to follow the work of the reapportionment commission over these first 100 days. Meetings are public and notices of meetings are filed with the Lieutenant Governor's office three days in advance of the meeting. The end result will be a plan to affect apportioning members in both State Legislative Houses. What it means in 2012 is that all State Legislature seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate will be up for eleehon in November. More on the Commission next month. He mea nui kēia no laila e 'ala mai kākou. 30/48 ■

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