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Six Kaimuki-area voters want Hawaii Rep. Calvin Say to appear in court and prove that he’s a resident of the district he represents.

That district, House District 20, includes St. Louis Heights, Palolo, Maunalani Heights and Kaimuki.

But the plaintiffs allege in a recently filed Circuit Court petition that Say doesn’t live there. Instead, they say he, his wife and two children have been longtime residents of Pauoa Valley.

If true, the petition contends, Say, the longtime House Speaker, wouldn’t be qualified to represent District 20 in the state House.

, “No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the House of Representatives unless the person … is, prior to filing nomination papers and thereafter continues to be, a qualified voter of the representative district from which the person seeks to be elected…”

That law further forbids a lawmaker from representing one district while living in another, says the petition.

This isn’t the first time Say’s right to represent the district has been challenged — it’s come up on three separate occasions since 2006.

Still, previous efforts to call Say’s residency into question have been stymied by the fact that he’s still registered to vote in District 20.

Honolulu city clerks, who oversee voter registration, rejected each challenge, saying there was no evidence to suggest that Say didn’t maintain permanent residency at his 10th Avenue home.

What’s different about this challenge is that it asks Say to appear before the court and prove under oath that he lives in Palolo Valley.

“He doesn’t actually live there,” said , a good-government attorney representing the plaintiffs. “For voter registration purposes, they (the clerks) decided that he was a resident of the district … but he’s acknowledged that he doesn’t stay there regularly.”

A legal residency verified by voter registration doesn’t mean Say’s qualified to represent the district, Collins said.

“It’s a rule of law issue,” Collins said. “It’s not about whether he’s a good representative. It’s about whether or not we can really have credible and legitimate laws if the people who make them don’t follow them.”

But Say filed a motion last week asking that the petition be dismissed. Once again, the challenge involves an issue that should be addressed by the city clerk, according to the motion.

Say also requested compensation for any legal fees he’s incurred, saying that “the claims asserted in the Petition are frivolous and are not reasonably supported by the facts and the law.”

Neither Say nor his lawyer, Bert Kobayashi, could be reached for comment Monday.

Say has served as House Speaker for 13 years, longer than any other speaker. But he’s stepping down this year.

Maui Rep. Joe Souki, another longtime House member and himself a former speaker, believes he has lined up enough votes among the members to unseat Say. The members are slated to vote on new leadership when the Legislature convenes on Wednesday.