CITIZENS FROM ALL ISLANDS MEET TO ESTABLISH THE HAWAII INDEPENDENT PARTY

News Release from Hawaii Independent Party March 27, 2014

Honolulu – The Hawaii Independent Party (HIP) has announced that its State Executive Committee has met to officially organize the new political party. They voted unanimously to appoint Michelle Del Rosario as party chair. They also passed measures to accept new members and candidate applications as well as outlining the establishment of its organization at the state and county levels.

Ms. Del Rosario is a Maui business woman and a former vice-chair of the Democrat party of Maui. "I am very excited by this opportunity and appreciate the faith and confidence the party executive committee has placed in me. I am confident that we will be able to have a solid slate of candidates who will do much to improve government for the people of Hawaii." Now that the HIP has been formally established as a political party its candidates do not need a minimum number of votes to advance to the general election.

The party also announced that it is now accepting membership applications and that annual party dues will be one dollar. "This is going to be a party of diversity and inclusion where those who are not at the extreme left or right of the political spectrum can come and voice moderate views that they feel will move Hawaii forward," Ms. Del Rosario said. "We aim to be a real player in the Hawaii political market place."

According to the party, applications for all Hawaii political offices are now available. Those wishing to get an application can do so by contacting the HIP State Executive Committee at votehawaii2014@gmail.com. According to Del Rosario a significant number of people from all political parties have expressed interest in running under the HIP banner and they have already extended an invitation to run to one prospective gubernatorial candidate. 

Del Rosario said that the HIP State Executive Committee voted to extend an invitation to former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann to be its gubernatorial candidate in the upcoming election. "We are excited by the prospect of having Mr. Hannemann leading our ticket. Many people signed on to the petition to form the Hawaii Independent Party out of a desire to see him seek the state's highest office."

Those interested in becoming involved with the HIP can contact the State Executive Committee by email at votehawaii2014@gmail.com.

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Hawai'i Free Press inquired for more details and here is the response from HIP Chair Michelle Del Rosario 

Aloha Andrew --    March 28, 2014

Thank you for posting our press release.  We are a grassroots statewide party in the beginning stages of our formation.  We will have a website up within the next two weeks.  The address is:  hawaiiindependentparty.com

Our candidate application process is as follows:  completion of a one page candidate application form that will be submitted to our State Executive Committee for review and approval.  

If we field one candidate per office, our candidates will be guaranteed to appear on the general election ballot.  As a certified party independent candidates who run under the HIP banner will not need to garner a minimum or percentage of votes cast in the primary election.  By eliminating a primary race -- this will allow our candidates to conserve their resources for use in the general election when most Hawai'i voters turnout and participate in the electoral process.  

We have extended a formal request and invitation to Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann to run at the top of our ticket for Governor this election cycle.   Mayor Hannemann is is the due diligence stage of evaluating a candidacy for Governor and will make a decision when he has completed this process.  

Our State Executive Committee (SEC) met on Saturday, March 22, 2014 for our first meeting.  We approved a candidate process and are now in the process of communicating the process to interested candidates.  We will meet again on April 26, 2014 to approve candidate applications received to date.  We will update the media as we have information to share.  

Mahalo --

Michelle

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