In a democracy, the right to elected representation should be held paramount, even in times of fiscal constraint and bureaucratic and legal hurdles.

With a major special election now looming and the Office of Elections in tatters, the overseeing Elections Commission must at last respond with real urgency to get its house in order.

The state will hold the special election to replace U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who announced his plan to resign his seat early to run for governor.

The timing could hardly be worse. The elections office will lose its chief, Kevin Cronin, at year's end. It's also short of money and enmeshed in legal disputes over voting machines. It will be a struggle for Cronin's successor just to manage the fall elections; a special election on short notice makes the challenge all the more difficult.

Complicating matters further is Abercrombie himself, who has not provided the date he will step down. He wants to remain for as-yet-unscheduled key votes on health care and Native Hawaiian federal recognition.

Commission Chairman William Marston said the panel will meet Dec. 30 to tap a temporary replacement for Cronin. That's none too soon: There must be no delay in hiring an interim chief who can plan and conduct the special election.

But a smooth and reliable election is not the responsibility of the commission alone. The office needs the Lingle administration to give it authorization to hire staff needed to run both the special election and the regular primary and general elections in the fall. And the Legislature must find the funds to see that both are done right.

The U.S. Constitution requires that House vacancies be filled by elections, not by gubernatorial appointment. The seat is too important to leave vacant for long — Abercrombie's permanent successor won't be seated until about a year from now.

The option of holding a special election by mail presents a cheaper option, and one that should be considered.

But any alternative course of action requires leadership. Whoever succeeds Cronin needs as much time and support as the state can muster to get the job done. Now the commission needs to do its own job, and get the new chief elections officer hired and at work.