Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0245.002 2012-2014 P/FG comments on Communication 245/Resolution 104-13 to audit the Office of Elections for Hawai'i County Council Committee on Finance, 1:00 PM Tuesday, April 30, 2013 by Cory Harden, PO Box 10265, Hilo, Occupied Hawai'i 96721 808-968-8965 mhtinterpac.net I support an investigation of problems with the County's 2012 primary election. But I think we should look at actions not just of the County Elections office, but also of individuals and the State Elections office. As you know, in October 2012 County Council and the League of Women Voters urged the State Elections Commission to do an investigation, but the Commission declined. Perhaps Council should ask the Federal Elections Commission. No investigation is needed to push mail-in and early voting. That avoids having sleep-deprived. overworked staff and volunteers trying to make all the stars line up on one day. o Q W 2 There are probably multiple reasons why the stars didn't line up on primary day. ..-.t -<--4 • County clerk Jamae Kawauchi said she raised concerns about the State elections office to the, rD'< State Election Commission a year before the primary, [Memorandum from Kawauchi to Couni` n Council, 8-20-12] "involving planning, communication, and listening to input."[Widespread" y, errors feared; Hawai'i Tribune-Herald, 8-21-12] • In July 2011 Kawauchi and Council Chair Yagong reportedly found evidence of drinking, storal @ of alcohol, and private business activity at a County elections warehouse. [Shakeup at elections office, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 9-25-12] • As a result, in January 2012 the elections administrator and three other workers were fired. • In September 2012 two fired workers filed defamation lawsuits, which I believe are still in play. [Lawsuits filed over two fired workers, Hawai'i Tribune-Herald, 9-7-12] • Kawauchi found 50 to 60 duplicate entries in the voter registry, plus indications that five people voted twice in 2010. • Over 500 County and State employees"on the clock"were sent to meetings at County facilities "to listen to a union-endorsed lineup of candidates. The candidates' opponents were not invited." [Yagong ethics probe fizzles, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 10-11-12] • State Chief Election Officer Scott Nago asked the County Ethics Board for a probe into County Council Chair Dominic Yagong's involvement in the County Elections Division, but the Board declined. [Yagong ethics probe fizzles, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 10-11-12] • The Tribune-Herald reported, "Nago's correspondence over the past year documents an increasingly hostile exchange with Kawauchi, as he attempted to help direct the clerk, a novice to elections who faced disgruntled poll workers and the absence of seasoned elections staff." [Election absences were no surprise, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 10-21-12] • There were unannounced temporary closings of the Hilo and Kona elections offices. ['Errors compounded by errors', Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 8-15-12] • Before the primary, County elections office workers received e-mails and texts telling them to do a bad job. • Precinct cans "which contain all the sensitive items that need to be locked down, were packed on the night before the election. Normal practice is for the cans to be packed nearly a week before." ['Errors compounded by errors', Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 8-15-12] Comm. No. °Zq c• Z Ref. To: P F� Ref. Date At'R 3 0 2013 AUX OS*CI kJ 1 I • On primary day,the"blue flu" hit the acting elections administrator and three other permanent elections workers, leaving only three permanent workers. The "flu" also hit poll workers, control center workers, and other temporary and volunteer helpers.[Election absences were no surprise, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 10-21-12] • Some election materials were delivered to the wrong precincts, or went missing, on primary day, causing nine of the County's 40 polling places to open 30 to 90 minutes late. One driver delivering materials got a message, possibly bogus, about a road blockage. He detoured, worsening delays. Governor Neil Abercrombie took the extraordinary step of extending polling hours, but there are rumors some polls did not comply. Land and mobile phones didn't work in most precincts on primary day. Kawauchi said that after the primary,the State elections office took County elections records with �.; no prior notice. Nago countered that Kawauchi consented. [`Widespread'errors feared, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 8-21-12] ""• The State elections office did an investigation of the primary—but did not tell Kawauchi it was doing so, took only four days, and did not investigate itself. The investigation faulted Kawauchi for • "poor planning, implementation, and leadership"[Office of Elections Report Regarding the Implementation of the 2012 Primary Election by the Clerk of the County of Hawaii, 8-15-12, p. 4] • Elections Administrator Pat Nakamoto, who was fired by Kawauchi, was in "a live-in relationship with Nago's old boss, former Chief Elections Officer Dwayne Yoshina." Nago wrote a personal letter to Mayor Kenoi defending Nakamoto.[Election absences were no surprise, Hawaii Tribune- Herald, 10-21-12] • While the County was considering the October 2012 resolution calling for an investigation,the State decided to take over the County general election. Dominic Yagong, Council Chair at the time, said "I find it kind of interesting they want to take it over when there's a call for an investigation."[State takes over election, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 10-3-12] That's a lot of kim thee, and I hope we can find a way to untangle it.