Election Postponed in Hawaii?

In an article that has been buried on internet web sites and in my own local paper is the fact that one of Hawaii's congressmen is resigning next month to pursue a campaign for the governorship. The real news is that since Hawaii's election office has only a $5000 budget until July (I hope that includes the salaries of the personnel in the office) they have decided they may not hold a special election and just wait until the September primary elections and the November election.  Hawaii may be one congressperson short until then.

There is the possibility that an accounting error may turn up $1.3 million is funds, but a state legislator thinks that the money, if found to be available, could probably be better spent on the poor people in her state.

Although this story has been pretty much buried, I think it is worth front page news!  What are the responsibilities of states?  I suppose few state constitutions actually prioritize their functions, but it seems to me that holding elections in a timely manner should be at the top of any list that might exist.  It is seriously dangerous to do otherwise.

With many state budgets in trouble this year and a regularly scheduled election in November, what would happen if some of the states just postponed their elections until they had enough money to afford to hold them?  Or what if some misguided legislatures decided to spend the money on entitlements instead of the elections?  What would happen to our republic? 

Yes, this is pretty much over reacting.  But the thought that a state would just let a seat be empty until the regular election rolled around was pretty astounding to me.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100105/NEWS01/1050357