Publicly funded elections starting in Hawaii despite potential legal questions

Big Island launching publicly funding elections

HONOLULU — Hawaii is moving forward with its test run of publicly funded political campaigns this election year, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against a similar setup in Arizona.

The state’s experiment with publicly funded elections starts with this fall’s Hawaii County Council contest.

According to the Campaign Spending Commission, 16 candidates applied to participate in the program before last Monday’s deadline.

Advocates say taxpayer-paid elections help take the corrupting influence of money out of political campaigns.

But opponents worry whether the program is legal, or sufficiently funded.

The June 8 Supreme Court decision doesn’t affect states outside Arizona, but it could lead to future legal challenges.

Online:

hawaii.gov/campaign