GMO moratorium petition gets required number of signatures

News Release from Maui County June 6, 2014

WAILUKU, Hawai`i – The Office of the County Clerk has certified that the SHAKA Movement has collected the required amount of additional valid signatures needed to advance to the Council a petition to place a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically engineered organisms, County Clerk Danny Mateo announced today.

“The SHAKA Movement submitted a supplemental petition on May 27 that contained 9,626 signatures,” Mateo said. “Our office has reviewed the submission and determined that 4,342 registered voters in the County of Maui have signed the petition, while 5,284 signatures have been deemed invalid.”

With a prior certification from the County Clerk last month, the SHAKA Movement has now collected a total of 9,062 valid signatures, Mateo said. Twenty percent of the total number of voters who cast ballots in the last mayoral general election, or 8,465 registered voters, were required to sign the petition to have it formally submitted to the Council.

The petition seeks enactment of a GMO moratorium ordinance.

According to the Maui County Charter, the council will now have 60 days to act on the proposed ordinance. If the council does not adopt the ordinance within 60 days, it will be placed on the 2014 General Election ballot for consideration by the electorate.

To access the Charter and find additional information, visit www.mauicounty.gov/clerk.

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Full Text: Certificate of Results - Supplemental Petition