(a) The candidate committee and candidate who receives contributions for an election but fails to file nomination papers for that election shall return residual funds to the contributors no later than ninety days after the date on which nominations for that election shall be filed. Funds not returned to contributors shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-384

  • Campaign funds: means contributions, interest, rebates, refunds, loans, or advances received by a candidate committee or noncandidate committee. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Candidate: means an individual who seeks nomination for election or seeks election to office. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Candidate committee: means an organization, association, or individual that receives campaign funds, makes expenditures, or incurs financial obligations on behalf of a candidate with the candidate's authorization. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Commission: means the campaign spending commission. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Election: means any election for office or for determining a question or issue provided by law or ordinance. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. Source: OCC
  • Noncandidate committee: means an organization, association, party, or individual that has the purpose of making or receiving contributions, making expenditures, or incurring financial obligations to influence the nomination for election, or the election, of any candidate to office, or for or against any question or issue on the ballot; provided that a noncandidate committee does not include:

    (1) A candidate committee;
    (2) Any individual making a contribution or making an expenditure of the individual's own funds or anything of value that the individual originally acquired for the individual's own use and not for the purpose of evading any provision of this part; or
    (3) Any organization that raises or expends funds for the sole purpose of producing and disseminating informational or educational communications that are not made to influence the outcome of an election, question, or issue on a ballot. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
  • Office: means any Hawaii elective public or constitutional office, excluding county neighborhood board and federal elective offices. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 11-302
(b) The candidate committee and candidate who withdraws or ceases to be a candidate for the election because of death, disqualification, or other reasons shall return residual funds to the contributors no later than ninety days after the candidate ceases to be a candidate. Funds not returned to contributors shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.
(c) A candidate who is elected to office, including a candidate subject to term limits and a candidate who resigned before the end of the term of office and the candidate committee of such a candidate, may use campaign funds as provided in § 11-381 or return funds to contributors until four years from the date of the election for which the campaign funds were received. Funds that are not used or returned to contributors shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.
(d) A candidate who loses an election and the candidate committee of such a candidate may use campaign funds as provided in § 11-381 or return funds to contributors until one year from the date of the election for which the campaign funds were received. Funds that are not used or returned to contributors shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.
(e) A candidate committee that disposes of campaign funds pursuant to this section shall terminate its registration with the commission as provided in section noncandidate committee‘s registration” class=”unlinked-ref” datatype=”S” sessionyear=”2022″ statecd=”HI”>11-326.
(f) Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, campaign funds may be used for the candidate’s next subsequent election as provided in § 11-381 upon registration for the election pursuant to § 11-321.
(g) The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section.