Hawaii has not historically had a statewide system for citizens to place initiatives on the ballot.
[1] At the 1968 Constitutional Convention, an initiative & referendum (I&R) system was proposed but was shot down by the committee after less than thirty minutes of deliberation.
"[3][4] This effort was opposed by several workers unions, including the United Public Workers and the Hawaii Government Employees Association, who claimed that "initiative, referendum, and recall would be dominated by emotion rather than reason.
"[5] While supporters of I&R were successful in bringing the proposal to a vote at the convention, it was ultimately rejected.
[8] Article XVII of the Constitution of Hawaii provides for two means by which measures can be placed on the ballot:[9] Constitutional amendments passed via ballot measures are unable to be vetoed by the Governor.