FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   CONTACT: Dick Rowland

                                                                                                                      (808) 864-1776

23 MAY 2006

Let Us Vote (LUV) Hawaii

Hawaii Residents overwhelmingly support Hawaii vote on the Akaka Bill

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii (GRIH) commissioned its second statewide telephone survey to determine public support for the Akaka Bill.  The results are in:

69.89% of Hawaii’s residents want to vote on the Akaka Bill before it is considered at the national level.

68.3% of residents in the first Congressional District (Rep Neil Abercrombie) want that vote.

70.87% of Rep Ed Case’s 2nd Congressional District want such a vote.

66.95% of the entire state continue to oppose the Akaka bill.

80.16% of Hawaii’s residents do not support laws that provide preferences for people groups based on their race.

77.83% would vote for statehood if the vote was held today. (In 1959, 94% voted for statehood.)

39.10%. Of residents would be more likely to vote for Ed Case for the US Senate if he opposed the Akaka bill.

Last year, the first GRIH survey revealed that 2/3 of Hawaii’s residents opposed the bill.  At that time GRIH called for a statewide plebiscite only to be ignored by those in the political arena, with few exceptions.

When presented with the results of the new survey, State Senator Sam Slom said,

“We need to have a debate and a plebiscite in Hawaii and not an edict from behind closed doors in Washington D.C.”

Jack Schneider, Chairman of the Board, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii said “If Congress passes the Akaka Bill without public support in Hawaii, the backlash will break more than a few political necks.”

We again call for a plebiscite on the Akaka Bill. We LUV-HAWAII. Let Us Vote!  

Survey details including text of questions, may be found at our website www.grassrootinstitute.org

To paraphrase a popular bumper sticker, “Eddie Would Vote,” said Dick Rowland, President of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.