Voters who'd like to turn up the volume of their political voice will have their chance today at the state Capitol.

A public hearing of House Bill 661, which seeks a test of truly publicly financed campaigns in Hawai'i, is set for 9:30 a.m. in conference room 016 at the Capitol.

This bill, already passed by the House, is the only legislative vehicle that can put into effect a proposal to provide comprehensive public financing for the campaigns of candidates to the Big Island County Council.

That council in January passed a resolution favoring the system for the 2010 election; it would allow publicly funded candidates to compete with well-connected opponents and their large, privately financed campaign coffers.

The council's resolution, and the lobbying work of the group Voter Owned Hawai'i, breathed new life into HB 661, now sitting in the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee.

The group has proposed language to convert the bill so that it would apply only to the Big Island, rather than council races on all islands.

This is a prudent idea for what is essentially a test case. There is enough money in the Hawai'i Election Campaign Fund to cover the council race, making this a perfect year to pass the enabling legislation. Hawai'i Island and state election officials would have two years to prepare.

Advocates want the bill to move to Senate Ways and Means without any intentional omissions that would force a final referral to a conference committee, where many bills die a quiet death.

Participation in local politics has increased in states where public campaign funding has been enacted: Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico and Vermont.

If the bill is held back, that would mean Hawai'i misses a chance to reap the same benefits. Considering the state's low voter turnout and the number of government seats that go uncontested, that would be a real shame.

Voters need to keep an eye on the Senate to see that this doesn't happen.