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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0859.002 2010-2012 Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura CAM( S From: DonnaOba @aol.com Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 10:23 AM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Testimony-- Resolution No. 311-12 Attachments: Testimony_Res 311-12_LWV.pdf Attached please find written testimony for the County Council meeting on October 3, 2012. Mahalo, Donna Oba, Co-President League of Women Voters of Hawai'i County h-(808) 884-5299 donnaobaaol.com Comm. No. W . 2- Ref. To: (9� 1 C41 .¢.11 Ref. Date OCT Q:1 2012 10/2/2012 ff t nT E411.ORG ELECTION INFORMATION YOU NEIL October 2,2012 I EA(;UE OF Hawai'i County Council 25 Aupuni Street WONIE N VOTERS Hilo, HI 96720 Re: Testimony in Support of Resolution No.311-12 The Hawai'i State League of Women Voters issued a press release on September 17, 2012(attached), urging the Hawai'i County Council to act to restore voter confidence and to ensure a smooth general election. The State League and League of Women Voters of Hawai'i County strongly urge you to pass Resolution No. 311-12 which lists the League's recommendations. The mishaps in the 2012 primary election, plus complaints of unreturned phone calls and emails, staff terminations, unexpected leaves of absence, inadequate or no staffing, miscommunications,and lack of communication and transparency with the press and public, cumulatively did little to bolster public confidence in the Hawai'i County Elections Office. The Big Island's election difficulties affect the entire state, not just the island. The general election includes State and Federal candidates. Questionable practices might generate candidate lawsuits,which are always costly to the taxpayers. Hawai'i could face intense scrutiny with plenty of people asking, "Why wasn't the problem resolved?" Resolution No. 311-12 includes the following recommendations: • Give Elections Office staff appropriate and adequate training. • Fully staff the Elections Division,to be led by someone with successful elections management experience. • Comply with relevant legislation and procedures, especially with regards to official political and press observers. Written election procedures exist; follow them. • Request the State Office of Elections to investigate primary and general election activities to prevent the problems in this election year from happening again. The League is encouraged to see that staffing levels and staff training have recently increased. Every vote counts. This is a tenet of the League of Women Voters. We assume the County Council and Elections Office support this tenet, which is basic to our democratic form of government. Big Island voters need to be able to trust that their vote counts, but indicators are that voters' faith in the system has now been shaken. A successful general election in Hawai'i County is the best way to restore that faith. Please adopt and implement all of the recommendations in Resolution No. 311-12. gonna C)6a Donna Oba, Co-President League of Women Voters of Hawai'i County Attachment: Press release,9/17/12(2 pages) P.0. Box 665♦Hilo,HI 96721-0665♦Voicernail; 808.933.VOTE(8683) roe League of Women Voters"',a nonpartisan,political organization,encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues,and influences public policy through education and advocacy. HAWAII STATE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Beppie Shapiro, President September 17, 2012 808-732-6237 lwv-hawaii.com beppie@hawaii.edu Hawai'i State League of Women Voters Recommends Response to Hawai'i County Primary Elections Problems Honolulu: To ensure a smooth general election in Hawai`i County and restore voter confidence, the Hawaii State League of Women Voters recommends specific actions by the Hawaii County Council and its Clerk, and an investigation by the State Elections Commission. In a democracy, every vote matters: each vote is the choice of a unique individual about what kind of government s/he wants. Collecting and recording those votes gives meaning to democracy. Over the years, members of State and County Leagues of Women Voters throughout Hawaii have worked with many public officials who register voters and run elections. Members of the Hawai'i State League of Women Voters served on the 2002 Election Review Task Force, and in 2012 as in past elections our members have volunteered in polling places and the State Control and Counting Centers. This year, we have been troubled by a number of serious issues on the island of Hawaii which cumulatively may have diminished voters' confidence in the Hawaii County Elections Office. We are concerned about an apparent lack of communication and transparency from the County Clerk with the press and public. Press conferences may have explained prior actions, but the time lag between actions and explanations fostered an air of mistrust. The State Elections Office complained about unreturned calls and emails to the County Elections Office. Staff terminations, unexpected leaves of absence, complaints of inadequate staffing, and miscommunications led to what one journalist called "chaos" on Primary Election Day. Hawai'i County and the State share responsibility for operation of elections on the Big Island. According to state elections law (HRS 11-184), the County is responsible for voter registration, absentee ballots and operation of early voting locations; the State is responsible for hiring precinct officials for election day, monitoring election day operations, collection of walk-in ballots and tabulation of all ballots. Responsibility for some functions is not clearly specified in HRS 11. It is not clear that either jurisdiction has sufficient authority to resolve all the problems that surfaced in the Big Island primary election. The Hawai`i County Council met on August 20, and the Hawaii County Clerk provided her status report to the Council. The State Elections Commission also met on that day. There, the Chief Elections Officer provided his status report to the Commission. Members of the State League of Women Voters attended and presented comments at both meetings. Because of the media's diligent reporting, the public learned that the County and State do not agree on the scope or causes of the election difficulties, or what can be done to prevent a recurrence. With less than two months left until the general election, voters deserve a clear response to the primary day mishaps, one which restores faith in the conduct of elections in Hawai`i County. In a creative step toward such a response, State Chief Elections Officer Nago invited staff of the Hawaii County Office of Elections to a series of workshops provided by experienced elections staff in other counties. We applaud this positive strategy. To ensure a smooth general election in Hawaii County, the Hawai'i State League of Women Voters: 1) Urges the Hawai'i County Council to ensure that all relevant Elections Office staff participate in the remaining workshops. 2) Urges the Hawaii County Council, in line with their responsibilities, to fully staff the Elections Division, and to assign undivided responsibility for County preparations for and conduct of the November voting process to someone with experience in successfully managing elections. 3) Expects the County Clerk to comply with relevant legislation, including designating official political and press observers for the Big Island Counting Center, as required under HRS § 16-45. Public release of identities of observers would reassure the public and media that the law is being implemented. 4) Recommends that the State Elections Commission, as required under HRS 11-8.5, conduct an investigation of the processes and actions that led up to the August 11 mishaps in Hawaii County, to apply to the November general election, prevent similar problems in future elections, and inform future efforts to clarify responsibilities among State and County Elections staff. These steps would go a long way to restoring voter confidence. The Big Island's difficulties affect the entire state, not just that island, because the general election includes State and Federal candidates. The effects of a botched Hawaii County election in November could spread beyond the Big Island. Any questionable practices might generate candidate lawsuits, which are always costly to taxpayers. Hawaii could face intense scrutiny with plenty of people asking, "Why wasn't the problem resolved?" It's not too late to prepare for smooth operation of the Big Island's November election. Why risk a repeat of August's problems, when something can be done about it? ********************* The League of Women Voters,a nonpartisan political organization,encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues,and influences public policy thorough education and advocacy. Membership is open to men and women of all ages.