Several Hawaii residents, including former Honolulu Advertiser Publisher Thurston Twigg-Smith, are challenging the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs' efforts to help to create a native Hawaiian governing entity through restricted voting.

The other four residents taking exception to the "Kau Inoa" voting registry include Patricia A. Carroll, Toby Kravet, Garry P. Smith and Earl F. Arakaki.

Attorney H. William Burgess said yesterday that his non-native Hawaiian clients should be included in the registry, otherwise the exclusion is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, which forbids race discrimination in public voting.