Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona has named 10 people to join him on a task force of community, government and legislative officials to study the potential costs of a state Constitutional convention.

The task force includes state House and Senate leaders, the state attorney general, the state's chief elections officer as well as representatives of the League of Women Voters and the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce.

State lawmakers have asked the Legislative Reference Bureau to also study the costs of a constitutional convention, so voters will probably have two estimates before the question appears on the November ballot.

"I believe this is one of the most important decisions facing Hawai'i voters this November," Aiona said in a statement.

The lieutenant governor's task force will hold a series of public meetings, starting tomorrow in his office at the state Capitol.

Voters are asked every 10 years whether they want a constitutional convention. The last convention was held in 1978.

State Republicans have endorsed a constitutional convention. State Democrats remain neutral, although they passed a resolution at their party's convention last weekend urging public education about the potential risks of a constitutional convention to issues now protected by the constitution, such as equality, personal privacy, the environment, collective bargaining for labor unions and Hawaiian cultural practices.