Public funding for the Hawai'i County Council 2010 election has grassroots support, and Big Island residents deserve a chance to make it work, even on a trial basis.

Getting even this incremental step passed is a stellar achievement. The effort to bring Hawai'i into the "clean elections" movement, already established in states such as Maine and Arizona, has played out over several legislative sessions. Proposals were floated — and then shot down — for trying out the concept in various contests, including county races, statewide offices and elections for state House seats.

Finally, Voter Owned Elections, a group that presses for election-finance reform, had the sensible idea of persuading Big Island county voters and officeholders to try it out in a small council race.

That's a good place to start.

"Clean elections" candidates qualify for public funds by collecting 200 signatures and $5 donations from each of those supporters; the amount varies according to the office being sought. If the opposition spends private donations above the set level, candidates can also get matching funds to help them compete.

The existing public elections fund will easily cover costs for the Big Island pilot, which is capped at spending $300,000 on all the council races for participating candidates. Then, when lawmakers evaluate its results, they can decide how to expand the project to more races and how to finance that expansion.

HB 661 is not a perfect vehicle. In particular, the Legislature inserted a provision to redirect one of the mechanisms that funds the Campaign Spending Commission. As a result of a late amendment, money from fines assessed on violators now will flow to the general fund.

This loss will be partly offset by an increase in funds from tax-return donations. But the fines also help support the office, which is almost certain to need more staff to handle the increase in publicly funded elections. That should be corrected in the next session, but it's not a reason to stop the bill from becoming law.

Critics of the bill say a future expansion to all state and county races may prove to be too expensive. They're countered by others who argue that reducing the influence of interest groups and lobbyists who donate to campaigns should lead to far fewer payback expenditures and a more fiscally prudent government.

Rather than leaping to conclusions based on assumptions or experiences in other states, it makes sense first to see how the reform fits Hawai'i.

And the pilot will demonstrate how well publicly financed campaigns draw more candidates to the field and into elected leadership. By providing the support needed for a successful campaign, this measure promises to re-energize public involvement in government. And that's a promise we all want to see fulfilled.