Austin Martin

Martin attended Abilene Christian University. As of his 2024 campaign, Martin was chairman of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Aloha! My name is Austin Martin. I represent the organic homesteading community of Big Island. I share your dreams and I hit the same potholes in our roads. You’ve probably seen me playing music on the streets, serving those in need, and listening to people from all walks of life. I believe we want the same things: prosperous, safer, and freer communities with our freedom protected from government interference.

Together, we will send a clear message to the failing two-party system: “Do better.”

If you send me to serve in the State House of Representatives, I will work hard for you. I will read each bill with care. My experience with parliamentary procedure, legislative review, & legal theory will ensure that I can make better use of the position than any other candidate; I won’t let you down.

Let’s Do Better

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Nullify the Jones Act - Hawaii needs real economic opportunity for local people, not just foreign investors and offshore industries. The cabotage restrictions of the Jones Act are a big part of Hawaii’s cost of living crisis; even though this is a Federal Law, these issues can absolutely be addressed through responsible local policies. One proposal that offers the simplest form of relief is to formally recognize one of the Hawaiian Homelands Ports as a non-US Port, under an independent Port Authority. This would facilitate inter-island shipping and would make our exports much more competitive, setting the stage for the economic miracle Hawaii needs, taking healthy steps toward sustainability & independence for our local economy.Disinfect the House -

If you send me to the House, one of my highest priorities will be to use all the powers and resources of my office to shine a spotlight in the dark corners of our government. Hawaii has a serious public corruption problem - we are in desperate need of strong leadership with the courage to stand up to corruption without fear or favor; we need political outsiders who aren’t part of the “club”. We need integrity, boldness, & fearless aloha. This is what I can bring to Honolulu from District 3.

However - we don’t need a mere rabble-rouser, or a show-boater; if the corruption issue is to be truly addressed, it will take putting ordinary political differences on the side, and working together to solve the big problems.Sustainable Prosperity through Freedom

Hands off our land! We want our local people to be free to own and build on their own land without excessive government interference. We can still protect our Hawaii from foreign over-development without aggressively restricting our local people’s private property rights.

Hands off our local businesses! We need our inventors, entrepreneurs, and ordinary folks to be free - but right now, it’s pretty much illegal to start a lemonade stand. I know we can do better.

Hawaii, by embracing economic liberty & pursuing sustainable prosperity through freedom, can transform our economy, regain our independence, recover our influence, and reclaim our ability to determine our own political destiny.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about cleaning up corruption.

I am passionate to restore Pono to the government, and to ensure the people have voices that are not afraid to speak up, but are still able to work with opposing views to get the important work done.

I am passionate for Hawaii’s economic and political independence - Hawaii should be rich and prosperous. Our local people should find it easy and affordable to live here and to do business. The regulation was never meant to handcuff our locals - but instead to protect from big industry and foreign interest.

I am passionate about the constitution, and about cleaning up our compromised Judiciary. I want to make sure it is accountable to the People it is supposed to serve.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus Christ.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

There is no single book that can encompass my political philosophy, and the books I will cite here do not always represent my policy views, but with that said, I will list some influential works which I find profound, and have shaped my thinking about the political world.

“Human Action” by Ludwig Von Mises

“Essay Collection” by CS Lewis

“Ethics” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes

“City of God” by Saint Augustine

“The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And as a fun bonus, (for younger audiences and adults alike), I strongly recommend this triumph of modern fiction: “The Stormlight Archive”, starting with the first book in the series: “The Way of Kings”, by Brandon Sanderson.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Wisdom. Integrity. Boldness.

Without boldness, there will be no action.

Without integrity, the action will be pointless.

Without wisdom, the fools will rule.

These are the critical traits that each elected servant should possess.

Wisdom - it is said:

“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,

But a fool is arrogant and careless.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭16‬

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom

And the man who gains understanding.

For her profit is better than the profit of silver

And her gain better than fine gold.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14

Integrity - (inclusive of diligence and faithfulness)

“A man will not be established by wickedness,

But the root of the righteous will not be moved.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭

“The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

But the house of the righteous will stand.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬

Boldness -

“The wicked flee when no one is pursuing,

But the righteous are bold as a lion.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,

But happy is he who keeps the law.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭18‬ ‭

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent and serve the People of District 3; to understand and carefully vote on legislation, to attend hearings and testimonies, to be responsive to the needs of the district and to tirelessly fight for their interests. The duties include the broader responsibilities of constitutional leadership, consulting with professionals & experts on matters outside of my experience, and cooperation with colleagues of vastly different persuasions, and the duty to get straight answers from the government on matters of importance to the people of District 3.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The ideal relationship between the legislature and the governor would be one where the legislature allows the people of Hawaii to actually vote on the vast number of appointed positions, reigns in the unchecked abuses of executive powers, and introduces measures which enhance accountability of the government to the legislature. The legislature, in tandem with the governor, should be empowering local communities by decentralizing power to the communities, and focusing on mainly upholding the laws, rather than trying to ideologically transform Hawaii from the top-down (again!).

The legislature are, quite frankly, pushovers. Reps rarely, if ever seem to be willing to stand up for their people. They are all too busy trying to “not make waves”. They should not be so afraid to stand up for Pono.

In turn, the Governor should be the servant of the will of the people and also a guardian against abuses of power and dysfunction which may arise from the legislature.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Greatest Challenges:

1. Corruption, anarcho-tyranny, and the sheer economic ruin which has already been wrought by the Corporate-government mafia clans, who have usurped the People of Hawaii & their organic culture.

2. War & the local consequences of wartime policy

3. Centralization, colonialism, & Globalism destroying the Hawaiian Culture and what remains of our way of life.

4. Public anger & fear being used to advance knee-jerk policy reactions, which often tend to worsen the situation more than if no action had been taken. Blowback and the law of unintended consequences should be on the mind of every person thinking of putting a hand on the wheel of Hawaiian politics.

5. Judicial misconduct eroding the rule of law, enabling and continuing the current Anarcho-Tyrannical Racket in place, which (unfortunately) is misnomered as a “State Government”.

6. Full-Spectrum organized crime & foreign interest capture of public governance and infrastructure

7. Foreign & domestic exploitation/ colonization of Hawaii, if not stopped, will result in the eventual collapse of the local economy, civil order, and the onset of serious local violence. This, combined with a rapid decline in living conditions, possibly leading to systematic collapses in critical industries resulting in major disruptions to ordinary life. This situation would make the probability of more profound political changes possible, making civil conflict a tail-risk to consider.

There is a limit on how far some problems can be allowed to advance before the chickens all come home to roost. We need elected leaders with wisdom & perspective - and a view of what Hawaii could be facing if our root problems are not addressed. Unfortunately, we don’t have any of those, and I’m the closest thing you’ve got on the ballot.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. Some experience, on a practical level, makes a good deal of sense.

On another level, being too accustomed to pragmatically compromising for the sake of “getting things done” is a big part of what can lead to major betrayals of public trust.

There is a balance needed; great leaders rarely need to tout their experience as a practical concern. The Pono ones don’t spend much time on self-promotion…

They are too busy actually leading.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, of course; but what kind of relationship? Is it really a good thing when the majority agrees so much that all minority voices are ignored and forgotten? We have a monoculture in the legislature, and we badly need diversity of thought.

If elected, I will be leading the a third party minority in the house, and so our party will have no way of getting “our way” by using the brute force of majority. Instead, we will have to focus on building healthy working relationships (with healthy boundaries) that result in our minority voices becoming a major influence to help shape the future of Hawaii towards an outcome that has more respect for the local culture and the rights of local communities to determine their own political destiny.

Real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down. The relationships we build must be reasonably connected to the shared interests (and oppositions) in the communities that I represent.

That said, this anti-ethic of “working together” has also resulted in very high levels of pettiness and political games being played at the expense of the People of Hawaii. This is something that a small minority 3rd Party can effectively address without sacrificing the effectiveness of the State House, nor their ability to be an important (perhaps even sometimes decisive) influence.

Electing someone who isn’t too chummy with the existing good-ol-boys club is a good idea for the health of the community and the health of Hawaii’s political scene as n general. There are actually better ways of getting things done than caving to peer pressure & kowtowing to the unreasonable demands of group dynamics, and I’m an excellent choice for the job, as shown in my historic achievements for Hawaii’s largest 3rd Party.

Together, we really can Do Better.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

This is a tricky question for me, since I am an innovator and a trail blazer. It’s hard to find real successful examples who actually helped Hawaii address the root problems; most of those noble leaders who tried, ultimately failed, but if I had to pick a single legislator that I thought was a worthy example, it would be Prince Kuhio.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No.

I do not have any plans to do so, though I also haven’t ruled out other future runs either.

I am content to serve my local community, and I don’t have any career ambitions to be a politician. Even now, in this run, I am just trying to do my best to live up to the responsibilities that have been placed before me, with what few resources I have at my disposal. My job this year is to perform a political miracle: to spin straw into gold.

So be it. I’ll do my best.

After being charged for trying to overthrow the state government, Prince Kuhio spent a year in jail before going on to successfully run for the US Senate. He proved to be one of the most effective and productive legislative leaders Hawaii has ever known.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The abuse of emergency powers in Hawaii should be treated like criminal acts of treason against the constitution.

The Constitution is not for easy times, it’s for emergencies especially.

The House should impeach and refer for criminal charges any executive who presumes to unilaterally rule over Hawaii, usurping the powers of a King.

The legislature, in turn, must never abandon its role to positively act and take initiative & an active role in overseeing any use of emergency powers, with extreme prejudice against any unconstitutional abuse of emergency powers.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I would introduce a bill (or series of bills) to decentralize some of the executive power of our state government, giving more power to local communities.

Some of the provisions would include:

1. Requiring the Attorney General and other key government oversight positions to be elected, including at least 2 judges in each sector of the judiciary.

2. Requiring the sheriffs to be independent of the judiciary and locally elected, rather than a second state policing force & judicial enforcement unit, thereby allowing local communities to enforce the laws and regulations as they see fit for their community. This would empower the community to independently enforce the laws against other government actors when appropriate, restoring another important “check” on government overreach.

3. Reforming the prosecutors’ office by making them independent of the judiciary, and requiring the judiciary to maximize its reliance on juries while minimizing the practice of allowing plea-bargain factories, which is actually color-of-law racketeering.

4. Require mandatory minimum sentences for “Fraud-on-the-Court” and creating false legal jeopardy against innocent persons; this law would be especially made to apply to Police Officers, Prosecutors, CPS/CWS workers, mandatory reporters, and any other government worker, but would more broadly affect witnesses in general; it would reform litigation privilege.

5. Removing “absolute immunity” from prosecutors, and judges, and reforming or abolishing “qualified immunity”, in favor of a reasonableness standard. There should be no immunity for criminal actions, and the law applies equally to everyone - including public servants.

6. Repair the damage done over the past few years to our elections system by decentralizing it to the local communities as much as possible, discouraging the use of private vendors, and banning the use of proprietary software in public elections.

And much more.

What committees interest you?

I am interested in the Judicial Committee

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Secrecy is almost never in the public interest - and an unaccountable government is no different from any other mafia or organized crime organization.

Accountability & tirelessly for all three government is a top priority for me.

I am not afraid to stand up for you, regardless of the cost to me personally.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

The People of Hawaii badly need a way of overstepping the government.

If the government did a halfway decent job, perhaps that wouldn’t be the case.