Letter to Lawmakers on Voting in a Pandemic

The State Office of Elections and County Clerks by Proclamation dated May 15, 2020 stated that Hawaii’s first all vote-by-mail elections – during a public health crisis no less – will only have eight Voter Service Centers statewide to conduct in-person voting, same day register voters, collect voted ballots, and more, such as respond to the confusion, mistakes, mishaps, and countless questions that vote-by-mail's launch will inevitably bring. These eight Voter Service Centers will only be open 10 days prior to elections from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Saturday and on election days from 7 am to 7 pm. Clearly, eight Voter Service Centers statewide will not be sufficient.

We, therefore, respectfully ask, that the legislative branch exercise its oversight authority over the State Office of Elections and County Clerks to ensure that the 2020 Hawaii elections are conducted with the health and safety of voters and elections staff inmind and at a minimum require a portion of the nearly $3.3 million CARES Act funding for election security be used for:

· Additional Voter Service Centers in all counties in convenient locations and open during convenient hours.

· Additional drop boxes in all counties in convenient locations, such as being co-located in essential businesses, e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies, and open during convenient hours.

· Enacting an actual plan for voting during a pandemic and including interested non-partisan stakeholders in the discussions for how to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus in relation to the 2020 elections.