Maui County Democrats are officially seeking a party member to fill the Central Maui Senate seat vacated when Shan Tsutsui accepted the job of lieutenant governor last week.
The party set a deadline for applicants of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Applicants need to be a Democrat in "good standing" who lives in Senate District 5, which includes Wailuku, Waihee and Kahului.
As Senate president, the 41-year-old Tsutsui was next in the line of succession for the lieutenant governor's position after Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz to succeed U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, who died Dec. 17.
According to an announcement from the Maui County Democratic Party, applicants seeking to be appointed to Tsutsui's former seat need to fill out a "Statement of Candidacy" form and submit a one-page resume and a short statement of why they want the job.
The "Statement of Candidacy" form is available online at www.mauidemocrats.org or by calling 358-5679.
Party district and precinct officers within the senatorial district will make up the official nominating committee. That panel will meet Saturday to hear presentations from candidates for up to 10 minutes.
Committee members may vote for up to three candidates.
The committee will submit three names to Abercrombie, who will appoint the district's new senator, the party's announcement said.
"I encourage any interested Democrats to apply for this position," said Justin Hughey, the District 5 State Senate Ad-hoc Nominating Committee chairman. "We are lucky to have such an open and grass-roots selection process. I look forward to reviewing each application with the committee and selecting three individuals who represent strong Democratic values that will help to move our community forward."
