The state Senate unanimously passed a measure that would create a system allowing candidates to publicly finance in local and state elections, beginning in 2028.
Candidates would be required to get varying amounts of $5 individual contributions to qualify for public funding.
The bigger the office, the higher the number of contributions candidates will need to qualify, and in turn, the higher the amount of public money available.
For example, a person running for the Kauaʻi County Council would only need 75 contributions and would be able to receive up to $30,000.
However, a candidate running for governor would need over 6,000 contributions and would be able to receive up to $2.5 million.
Sen. Karl Rhodes is one of the introducers of the measure.
“This bill has the potential for reducing the influence of special interest money significantly because it provides a full public financing option for candidates who wish to run for office and requires a lot of grassroots support to get that money to run for office,” he said.
“But it does allow people who don't come from financial backgrounds where they are capable of raising a lot of money a chance also.”
Candidates can choose not to participate in the program.
According to the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, those who win a state House of Representative seat spend on average about $40,000 on their campaign compared to $16,000 for the losing candidate.
Also, over half of campaign donations in the 2022 election came from the same 980 donors.
The measure was passed out of the Senate on Tuesday and will next be heard by the House of Representatives.
