SB 1303 Summary

• Establishes urban and rural districts for Office of Hawaiian Affairs board elections, designating the first congressional district as urban and the second congressional district as rural.

• Requires two of the four at-large board seats to be filled by candidates residing in the urban district and two seats by candidates residing in the rural district, creating head-to-head races within each district.

• Eliminates the previous system allowing three at-large seats without residency requirements and replaces it with district-based residency requirements for all at-large positions.

• Requires candidates for at-large seats to specify during filing whether they are seeking an urban or rural district seat.

• Implements staggered terms for the 2018 election, with the member receiving the lowest vote count serving a two-year term; all members serve four-year terms beginning after the 2020 general election.