The Secretary will grant a request if the Secretary determines that each criterion on the following list of eight criteria has been met:

(a) The request includes the seven required elements described in §50.10;

(b) The process by which the Native Hawaiian community drafted the governing document met the requirements of §50.11;

(c) The process by which the Native Hawaiian community determined who could participate in ratifying the governing document met the requirements of §50.12;

(d) The duly ratified governing document, submitted as part of the request, meets the requirements of §50.13;

(e) The ratification referendum for the governing document met the requirements of §50.14(b) and (c) and was conducted in a manner not contrary to Federal law;

(f) The elections for the government offices identified in the governing document, including members of the governing body, were consistent with §50.15 and were conducted in a manner not contrary to Federal law;

(g) The number of votes that Native Hawaiians, regardless of whether they were HHCA Native Hawaiians, cast in favor of the governing document exceeded half of the total number of ballots that Native Hawaiians cast in the ratification referendum: Provided, that the number of votes cast in favor of the governing document in the ratification referendum was sufficiently large to demonstrate broad-based community support among Native Hawaiians; and Provided Further, that, if fewer than 30,000 Native Hawaiians cast votes in favor of the governing document, this criterion is not satisfied; and Provided Further, that, if more than 50,000 Native Hawaiians cast votes in favor of the governing document, the Secretary shall apply a presumption that this criterion is satisfied; and

(h) The number of votes that HHCA Native Hawaiians cast in favor of the governing document exceeded half of the total number of ballots that HHCA Native Hawaiians cast in the ratification referendum: Provided, that the number of votes cast in favor of the governing document in the ratification referendum was sufficiently large to demonstrate broad-based community support among HHCA Native Hawaiians; and Provided Further, that, if fewer than 9,000 HHCA Native Hawaiians cast votes in favor of the governing document, this criterion is not satisfied; and Provided Further, that, if more than 15,000 HHCA Native Hawaiians cast votes in favor of the governing document, the Secretary shall apply a presumption that this criterion is satisfied.


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