Oct. 15 is the deadline for all Native Hawaiians to register to vote in the election of delegates to a constitutional convention, or aha.

Participants can register by going to either the Office of Hawaiian Affairs website or to the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission website.

Information about the election process can be found at Nai Aupuni’s website or by emailing naiaupuni@election-america.com.

“This is an historic election for Hawaiians to determine if a reorganized Hawaiian government will be formed,” Kūhiō Asam, Nai Aupuni president, said in a press release Monday. “The candidates in this election are diverse in their ages, backgrounds and purpose. They are representative of a good cross-section of the Native Hawaiian community and we encourage all Hawaiians to participate and vote.”

Nai Aupuni bills itself as “an independent organization made up of a volunteer board of directors from the Hawaiian community … established solely to create a path to Hawaiian self-determination.”

Nai Aupuni has contracted with Election-America to organize and run the election.  

The timeline leading up to the aha is as follow:

• Oct. 15: Voter registration ends.
• Nov. 1: Ballots for election of delegates sent to certified voters. Voting begins.
• Nov. 30: Delegate voting ends and ballots must be received by this day.
• Dec. 1: Results of election of ‘aha delegates announced publicly.

The aha will be held on Oahu and run between February and April in 2016 over 40 business days.

If the delegates create a governing document, a ratification vote will take place, says Nai Aupuni.

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