Court Rejects Bid To Stop Na’i Aupuni Vote
The election of delegates to a Native Hawaiian constitutional convention can proceed, the U.S. Ninth Circuit rules.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected an attempt to stop the counting of votes in the election of delegates to a Native Hawaiian constitutional convention, or 鈥楢ha.
An emergency appeal was filed by plaintiffs associated with the after federal Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled in October that the election overseen by could go forward.
Voting is underway, with about 89,000 people certified to cast ballots. The election, which concludes Nov. 30, will seat 40 delegates to the 鈥楢ha that will commence next February with the purpose of proposing a plan for Native Hawaiian self governance. The outcome of the delegate election will be announced Dec. 1.
Plaintifffs seeking to halt the election filed a suit calling it 鈥渞acially exclusive.鈥
