Hawaii Legislators’ Candidate Responses to Key Civil Rights Questions

The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i (ACLU of Hawai‘i) has released responses from 66 candidates who participated in its 2020 State House and Senate Candidate Questionnaire on key civil rights questions.

The ACLU of Hawai‘i does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office, and the goal of the questionnaire is to learn candidates’ positions on key civil rights and civil liberties issues affecting the people of Hawai‘i and to allow voters to make informed decisions about who represents them at the Legislature. Topics include privacy and technology, criminal legal reform, policing, education justice, houselessness, and the criminalization of poverty. Candidates were given the option of selecting “yes,” “no” or “prefer not to answer,” and were able to elaborate on their position for each question.

The questionnaire was sent to 160 candidates for State House and State Senate in the 2020 elections.

ACLU of Hawai‘i Policy Director Mandy Fernandes said: “Our state representatives and senators have the power to create change through policies that directly impact our daily lives. We believe the public deserves to know their candidates’ positions on civil rights and civil liberties and where they stand on advancing important causes like economic justice and criminal legal reform. We hope this survey brings transparency to the public so that when people send in their ballots, they know which legislators will fight for them and are committed to fostering a better, more equitable Hawai‘i.”

The questionnaire and candidate responses can be found at: https://acluhi.org/en/2020-candidate-questions.

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