Honolulu Weekly

If you were using the social networking site Twitter last Thursday and following a user named georgettedeemer, your computer screen, from bottom to top, looked something like this.

• On the House floor. Rep Ward: Civil Unions is really an end-run for same-sex marriage. 12:41pm

• Rep. Blake Oshiro: There will be a day when acceptance and tolerance are not just words. Let that day be today. 12:54pm

• Rep. Chris Lee: My generation overwhelmingly supports equal rights for all couples. 12:57pm

• Civil Unions bill passes with 17 voting No. 12:59pm

For anyone with an interest in the outcome of HB444, the civil unions measure now before the Senate Judiciary committee, these “tweets,” as Twitter posts are called, were the next-best thing to being on the House floor. The messages came from Georgette Deemer, the House communications chief whose terse, minute-by-minute updates mirrored the high drama of the proceedings.

Deemer is part of a sudden surge in technological innovation at the State Capitol this legislative session, much of it involving Web-based social networking technology. In keeping with the spirit of “Web 2.0,” these efforts are independent and uncoordinated, yet are working together in ways that make the 25th Legislative session palpably more accessible to anyone with an internet connection than ever before.

Downstairs from Deemer’s office is the office of Kauai Rep. Hermina Morita, where Joel Guy has been producing a series of videos that have Capitol-watchers buzzing. “The Ledge” is Guy’s attempt to break down the barriers separating the Legislature and the people it’s supposed to be legislating for. In three to five minutes, Guy tries to capture the spirit of the Capitol in ways that the traditional, media-averse YouTube generation, and Morita’s constituents on Kauai, will not only relate to, but be able to find in the first place. “The amazing thing about this place, there are 3,000 bills bouncing around, and that means 3,000 opportunities to make a film,” Guy says of the Capitol.

Guy’s first effort juxtaposed images of Hawaii Democrats with President Obama’s Inaugural Address. Other videos—he produces one every week—have focused on the ceded lands debate and a striking piece featuring the voice-over of an unidentified kanaka pleading with lawmakers to protect Hawaii’s kalo from GMO meddling. One video simply took the time to explain the legislature’s constitutional function, prompting outpourings of gratitude from online commenters (not usually known for their civility or grace).

“That’s my magic,” Guy says, “the two-to-five minutes. It’s all about the message and the energy.” He credits Morita for trusting him enough to implement her vision without looking over his shoulder at every turn. “I show her the finished product, and so far, she hasn’t asked me to change a thing,” he says.

Back up on the fourth floor, there’s another new video operation afoot, this one under the aegis of ‘Olelo Community Television. All members of the executive and legislative branches now have the opportunity to walk into the ‘Olelo facility and produce videos for distribution on the service or on its Web site. “It’s critical for residents to have a good understanding of where their elected representatives stand on the issues,” says Kealii Lopez, president and CEO of ‘Olelo. It’s early, but Lopez says that the turnout for training sessions on the studio’s equipment has been positive among both legislators and executive department heads.

If government leaders do manage to connect with a new audience through all this innovation, voters are in luck: this year marks the launch of the legislature’s acceptance of online testimony on bills it is considering. For now, Deemer and her colleagues will continue what amounts to an experiment in democratic technology.

“The ability to humanize the legislature is a huge step for us,” Deemer says. “Not just the lawmakers, but the people who come to this building every day. Whatever their issue is, everyone has a story. We are humanizing those stories via Twittter way beyond anything we’ve ever been able to do with any other medium.”

House Majority communications office on Twitter: georgettedeemer and thelmadreyer. On the Senate majority side, look for hawaiisenate.

Joel Guy’s videos can be found here.

For more information on submitting online testimony to the Hawaii Legislature, visit Susan Jaworowski’s tutorial at [www.government101.net].

Honolulu Weekly’s Twitter ID is honoluluweekly.