The exorbitant amount of money necessary to stand for office is out of control. We have so many super PACs and PACs spending money from sources which are not always transparent. We must legislate to adopt campaign finance reform and the public financing of elections.

This year, many candidates are claiming they will not take any PAC nor corporate donations. The Green Party has advocated this since their inception. It is one of the items which makes Green Party candidates different; they do not have to make the claim, it is understood.

It is time to institute a mail-in voting system. Even though I enjoy going to the polls on Election Day, it will save money, which can be better utilized in the community.

It is also time to adopt Ranked Choice/Instant Runoff/Preferential voting. Maine will institute this progressive change starting in November. San Francisco, Oakland and other jurisdictions have shifted to this more democratic method for electing people to office. This is another progressive change championed by the Green Party since they first gained ballot access in 1992.

The legalization of cannabis is something which is long overdue; it is absurd that Hawaii was not the first state in the nation to have done this. Twenty percent of the country lives in locations where it has been legalized.

These issues, including remote testimony from the Neighbor Islands, are political positions I have long championed. It is refreshing to see more candidates adopting these progressive changes.

Nikhilananda

State House District 13

Green Party candidate

Huelo