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Winter 1975

Be a Poll Watcher
League of WoMen Voters--
Calendar 1974-75
I Know There Are Leaguers... (Luci Wilson Benson)
Garbage Can Be Beautiful! (Harriet Kaye)
BART Tour (Melvia Kawashima)
See How They Run
State Consensus on Corporate and Union Giving
State Ethics Commission Adopts Campaign Practices Guidelines
Survey of State Campaign Practices Legislation
Public Funding... Yes!!
Petition Drive
Vote Power: How to Work for the Person You Want Elected
On State Board 1974-75
Coming Soon - Watch for Fall Premier! "Parent Power"
National Land Use: January 31, 1975 Consensus

Survey of State Campaign Practices Legislation

The past two years have seen 43 states approve major campaign reform legislation, and similar legislation is pending in five others. Action has been taken in one or more basic ways:

  1. Disclosure laws - compulsory reporting of campaign finances.

  2. Spending limitations - to control mushrooming costs of campaigns.

  3. Contribution limits - from individuals and on aggregate contributions.

  4. Ethics or Elections Commissions - many states have established quasi-independent commissions to receive reports., issue regulations, keep tabs on violators for prosecution.

  5. Public financing - Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Utah have enacted plans for partial public support of candidates. Most are modeled after the Federal income tax dollar check-off.

IN HAWAII -- The 1973 Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Law provides for a 5 member governor-appointed Campaign Spending Commission. It oversees the graduated scale of allowable campaign expenditures, has adopted a code of fair campaign practices, and is in the process of investigating possible violations.

Commissioners Term Stipend

Yasu Arakaki (D), Chairman 4 yrs. Expenses Hilo, Hawaii

Stephen Kubota (D), Honolulu 3 yrs. Expenses

Terza Meller (D), Honolulu 2 yrs. Expenses

Clarence Short (R) 3 yrs. Expenses

Waichi Kunimitsu (R) 2 yrs. Expenses

Meetings of the Commission are held Thursday at 7 PM at the office of the Lt. Governor (subject to change).

Legal interpretations of the Campaign Spending Law have been a vexing chore for the Commission, staff, and Attorney General's Office, but this has been greatly facilitated since the Commission hired its first director, attorney Robert Klein. Previously, Leaguer Sharon Yokote of the Lt. Governor's staff was Acting Director.

During the past few weeks the Commission has been busy giving advisory opinions to many persons who are in the midst of campaigns. Candidate queries are received daily, and range from whether interest on a loan counts as part of expenses, to what is considered constituent communication as opposed to contact for campaign purposes.

An informational handbook for candidates prepared by the Commission will be published shortly, and the Commission will then hold orientation meetings for candidates and interested citizens on the various islands.

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