By nearly 3 to 1, Hawaiian voters have backed a plan to elect delegates to propose a native Hawaiian government.
Supporters consider the vote a key first step toward determining some form of Hawaiian sovereignty.
Sol Kaho'ohalahala of Lanai, chairman of the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council, announced the results of the historic Native Hawaiian Vote today on the grounds of the State Judiciary Building near the King Kamehameha statue. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday lifted a temporary stay order, clearing the way for release of voting results. About 80,000 people of Hawaiian ancestry were sent ballots between July 1 and Aug. 15 asking whether they should elect delegates to propose a native Hawaiian government. One lawsuit alleges that the vote interferes with the plaintiffs' rights to petition the federal government for sovereignty. Another lawsuit, filed by Big Island resident Harold Rice, challenges the state's use of tax dollars to sponsor a vote open only to native Hawaiians.