The Clean Elections Hawaiʻi Coalition is urging lawmakers to restore public trust after an “influential state legislator” allegedly accepted $35,000 in 2022.
The group is asking for an impartial, independent special prosecutor to look into pay-to-play donations within the state. The state Attorney General's Office has its own ongoing investigation of the alleged $35,000 exchange, but some elections advocates like Common Cause Hawaiʻi Program Manager Camron Hurt say this internal investigation is not satisfactory.
“We are currently operating in a trust deficit, so our call for a special investigator is not (against) anybody's one ability or how they execute their job, but it is to prevent the appearance of impropriety throughout this investigation,” Hurt said. “The people have questions, and they are right to have them. It is time for people to step out of their egos and do what is best for the state.”
The coalition has three demands for state lawmakers: pass this legislative session’s good government bills, end private campaign financing, and create a new, comprehensive public funding system.
Dozens of advocates chanted, “The status quo has got to go,” at a Clean Elections Hawaiʻi Coalition gathering at the state Capitol on Monday. Speakers said that this is not a “one bad apple” situation. They said they believe the election financing system as a whole is corrupt and needs to be fixed.
Multiple corruption bills are being heard this week that would strengthen bribery penalties, increase the statute of limitations for bribery offenses, or create a misdemeanor offense if someone fails to report bribery. Coalition members are urging lawmakers to pass these bills unamended.
Tanya Yamanaka, the principal contractor for the Chamber of Sustainable Commerce, emphasized that pressure to survive can often lead to questionable decisions, adding that misuse of power is not just a political issue, but a human one.
“This is not about bad people – it's about systems that create conditions where misuse of power becomes more likely. We call for safeguards today not because people are bad, but because people are human,” Yamanaka said.
“When systems rely on money, hierarchy, and constant fundraising, they test integrity under pressure. And under pressure, people make harder compromises. Under pressure, fear breeds silence. When loyalty is rewarded over transparency, accountability weakens.”
