Op-ed authored by Camron Hurt, Common Cause Hawaii State Director.

Originally published on August 10, 2025 in Civil Beat. View the piece here. 

“Can we be serious for a moment?”

That was the first thought when I heard the ridiculous notion that to solve Hawaiʻi’s chain of custody issue, we should get rid of drop boxes.

This is absolutely nonsensical. I am truly stunned by the assertion and want to use my voice to warn the public that this amounts to nothing more than the Elections Commission and Office of Elections seeking to minimize responsibility to the public, and that must be called out.

First and foremost, we must address the issue of voting irregularities. There are alleged voting irregularities in both Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi counties. We should one acknowledge these irregularities and evaluate where our election system is vulnerable and then bolster it.

Investigations into the irregularities appear to show some issues with the chain of custody of ballots. Instead of offering more trainings earlier to volunteers, instead of seeing if there is a need for more training at the Office of Elections, instead of creating a position to help oversee, educate and train individuals on ballot collection, they suggest cutting drop boxes.

This would be a direct assault on our democracy and is the definition of lazy. Instead of securing a loose end, it’s more advantageous to some to get rid of ways to vote. This is no different than those who do not wish to increase the number of day-of polling places, two sides of the same coin, the coin of Democratic Obstruction.

I am encouraged by the attendance of two House Republicans. Surely their commitment to voting integrity means that they will be putting up commonsense voter laws in the 2026 session.

Some that Common Cause would support include assuring funding for additional day-of polling stations and drop boxes, assuring funding for proper recruitment and training of election workers, increasing the scope and funding of the State Ethics Commission to be able to carry out more investigations and recommend penalties.

My hope is leveled out by my reality, however. It seems some legislators are more interested in stoking a flame than actually creating a comprehensive solution to benefit the people and advance our democracy.

To his credit, Sen. Brenton Awa has expressed an openness to speak with Common Cause and we are greatly appreciative for this attitude. Conversely, some of his peers would be wise to remember that grievance politics without a solution being put forward does nothing but drive us all further apart without addressing the root cause of issues.

Any sort of voting irregularities of meaningful proportions are a direct threat against our democracy. You don’t need to be of one party affiliation or another to recognize that.

The answer to those irregularities is not to strip away access to voting, it is rather to demand that our tax dollars, our investment in this system, be run more efficiently with complete transparency.

Our kūpuna should not lose access to drop boxes because of county or state incompetence. Our commissions must be the independent arm of the people and rise above partisan lines to deliver real solutions for the community.

We must also not let our public officials skirt responsibility when it comes to oversight. Anyone seeking a plan that penalizes the people over the failures of bureaucracy could be a part of that swamp they seek to drain, be aware.

###