Bill > SB1555

This bill aims to reintroduce a voluntary Code of Fair Campaign Practices for candidates in Hawaii, addressing concerns about unethical campaign conduct. The legislation encourages candidates to pledge to conduct their campaigns with decency, honesty, and fair play by adopting a nine-point code of conduct. The code includes commitments such as conducting campaigns openly and publicly, avoiding misrepresentation or distortion of facts, refraining from personal attacks, condemning dishonest election practices, rejecting appeals to prejudice, avoiding coercion of campaign contributions, taking responsibility for campaign staff conduct, refusing to spread malicious accusations, and publicly repudiating support from groups using unethical tactics. The bill provides historical context, noting that a similar code was previously used in Hawaii for over 25 years until a 2001 Supreme Court ruling deemed a mandatory version unconstitutional. By making the code voluntary, the legislature hopes to promote more ethical campaign practices and restore public trust in the electoral process, without imposing mandatory requirements that might infringe on candidates' free speech rights.

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https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1555&year=2026