Pity the poor Hawaii voter. When half the state's residents head to the polls on Jan. 4 for a special congressional election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Patsy Mink, they will select from a bewildering list of 44 candidates.

You read that right. With that many names, each voter's slip may look more like an itemized phone bill than a traditional ballot.

Though the winner of the election will most likely come from the half-dozen or so high-profile politicians in the race, the ragtag runners filling out the remainder of the marathon roster are affecting the outcome in interesting ways. Political wags are refusing to handicap the race, for instance, and no one is polling Hawaii voters. The extreme example of democracy is making for a campaign season that's more colorful than a tourist's lei.

"It's definitely not boring," says Neil Milner, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii.

How could it be, when the mix includes the octogenarian former mayor of Honolulu, a cellist, an electrician, and a recovering drug addict?

Even more unconventional than the candidates themselves are some of the platforms they're touting.

Take Paul Britos, for example. The centerpiece of the 63-year-old retiree's campaign is a proposal to give Hawaii an economic boost by building a massive three-tower business complex that includes a senior care center and high wires for tightrope acts.

Another bold initiative comes from Mark McNett, who won almost one percent of the votes in the Nov. 30 election to decide who would temporarily fill Ms. Mink's seat for two months. He plans to introduce a "Senate cosponsored resolution mandating that the US pledge 'omnilateral' world disarmanent to the United Nations."

Then there is Art Reyes, a retired US Navy engineer who pledges to build bridges connecting all of Hawaii's Islands, a monumental feat costing billions.

No doubt, the campaign is hardly politics as usual in Hawaii. The sheer number of candidates is the result of a "special election" in which almost no rules apply and a bare plurality wins. "Everybody and his uncle thinks he or she has a chance of putting together a sliver of votes that will constitute a plurality in a multicandidate field," explains Dan Boylan, a Hawaii political analyst.

Fewer ordinary citizens may have thought of running in a race against Mink, the longtime Democratic incumbent. But this election is wide open, especially since neither party has chosen to endorse a candidate in the free-for-all.

The more energetic of the lesser players are running vigorous campaigns, staking out malls and waving signs on busy streets. Some are buying radio airtime or a television spot or two. But few have the resources to hit big media - Mr. McNett, for example, has spent a grand total of $15 on political advertising and has refused any contributions.

Not surprising, then, the majority of the candidates are barely visible on the political landscape. In most cases they're barely visible on the landscape, period, since Hawaii consists of six major islands.

Even the leading candidates are struggling to canvas the territory. The district encompasses all of Hawaii except for urban Honolulu. The only convenient way to travel between these regions is via air. In the shortened run-up to the Jan. 4 affair, simply showing one's face in all the various parts of the district has become a logistical nightmare.

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