HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0061.002 2008-2010
The very good news is that any voter in the State of Hawaii can
choose to vote by mail permanently today.
With the support of the Big Island Legislative Caucus and particularly
the advice of Senators Takamine and Kokubun in the last legislative
session SB 156/Act IV became law when the Legislature overrode
Governor Lingle's veto and legalized Permanent Absentee Ballots
last July. This was done primarily to make it easier for our Kupuna to
vote but it will be a great boon to people who work as well.
Because we are lucky to have a very proactive Elections Officer in
Hawaii County, Pat Nakamoto, the County Office of Elections already
has 1,256 voters who will from now on vote by mail automatically via
the Permanent Absentee Ballots law.
It now appears that the budget shortfall the Legislature faces in this
session is around $1.5 billion. What this means is that bills requiring
the expenditure of funds have almost no chance of passage or
implementation however, bills that save money will be looked on with
zeal!
I commend the Council and especially Councilwoman Brenda Ford
for exploring Vote By Mail for our island. Vote by mail is cheaper and
far easier to administer but it also gives us voters time to carefully
consider the important decisions placed before us without the
pressures of the polling place.
As the Council knows, progress requires successful action within the
political realities of the time. Only a carefully worded and expense
free piece of legislation is likely to get us a vote by mail pilot in our
County. Previous Vote By Mail legislation has not done well in the
Legislature for many reasons...
I want to urge the Council to stick closely to existing law and
precedence in order to ensure successful passage and
implementation:
I urge you to use the term "Absentee Ballot" and use this already
proven mechanism for the Vote by Mail pilot.
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Further, there is precedence in the law:
HRS 15-4(b) already gives all the voters of Kalaupapa Settlement
on Molokai Absentee Ballots for every election allowing them to
vote by mail.
Finally, I urge the Council to work with the County Elections
Department to show the legislature that an all mail election would
save the County substantial funds while at the same time making it
much easier for all of our citizens to vote.
Then I would urge you to enlist the public support of both Mayor Billy
Kenoi and our Big Island Legislative Caucus as they head for
Honolulu and the 2009 Session.
Be prepared to override another veto, Gov. Lingle has not proven
helpful in the effort to increase voter participation.
IN THE MEANTIME, I urge everyone to call 961-8277 and get your
name on the Permanent Absentee Ballot list so that you can vote by
mail from now on.
-Respectfully submitted,
AI Beeman
Hilo Z41