Are the benefits resulting from a constitutional convention worth the cost?
• Some estimate the cost of a constitutional convention to be up to $41 million in taxpayers’ money. The cost of the venue, office, staffing can quickly add up. • On top of that, there can be years of costly litigation that result from proposes changes coming out of a convention. Hawaii’s people are being asked to vote for something when we have not yet established a need and what we want to get out of it. • Other states have voted against a constitutional convention for this very reason: too many unanswered questions. Conducting a constitutional convention properly is a huge undertaking and financial investment. Then there are the hidden costs of subsequent litigation resulting from the proposed revisions to our state’s constitution. It’s taxpayers’ money and we should invest prudently.
