Hawaii Officials Illegally Advocated Constitutional Change

Voters rejected the amendment despite the tax-funded hectoring

The Department of Land and Natural Resources violated state law by advocating passage of a constitutional amendment on Tuesday's general election ballot, Acting Attorney General Russell Suzuki said.

The proposed amendment, which was narrowly rejected by voters, concerned repairs to agricultural dams and reservoirs. DLNR paid for newspaper ads that recommended a "yes" vote on the measure.

"We have advised the DLNR that while it is appropriate to expend moneys…to educate the public about dam safety, it is not appropriate to advocate that the public should vote "Yes" on Constitutional Amendment No.1," Suzuki wrote in a letter yesterday.