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Eight guests debated campaign finance in Hawaii in this March 1996 broadcast, examining whether political contributions corrupt the legislative process. Bob Watada, executive director of the Campaign Spending Commission, described the state's disclosure requirements as a sound foundation and noted that the 1995 legislature had expanded his agency's enforcement capacity. Don Clegg, a former city planning director, argued that Honolulu's local campaign assistance ordinance was unconstitutional and so broadly drawn that it discouraged civic participation. Neal Milner, a University of Hawaii political scientist, doubted that full public financing of elections was fiscally realistic. Kioni Dudley, head of the Hawaii Green Party, contended that public financing was both feasible and necessary, arguing that private contributions gave large donors disproportionate access to legislators. Lobbyist Red Morris maintained that disclosure was sufficient and that contributions did not demonstrably purchase specific legislative outcomes. Arleen Kim Ellis of the League of Women Voters advocated voluntary spending limits paired with public incentives to reduce the fundraising advantage incumbents hold over challengers. Desmond Byrne of Common Cause Hawaii and State Senator Mary George also contributed. The question is whether disclosure alone protects the integrity of Hawaii's elections, or whether tighter contribution limits and public financing are required.
Transcript
Read or download the full transcript (.txt). Speaker labels were assigned automatically and may contain errors.
Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
