By NANCY COOK LAUER
By NANCY COOK LAUER
Stephens Media
Questions over jurisdiction are keeping a requested update on the status of the county Elections Office off the County Council agenda, at least for now.
Hilo Councilman Dennis Onishi on May 30 asked for an update on the readiness of the Elections Office to conduct the elections, following the January firing of Elections Administrator Pat Nakamoto and three of her staff. Onishi has led the charge questioning the office’s readiness, including sending letters to the state Elections Commission that resulted in the state taking up the issue at a meeting last month.
Onishi had hoped to reserve 30 minutes on the June 6 council agenda but was turned down because the agenda was already packed. Indeed, the council meeting carried over until June 8, after running out of time late in the evening.
But Council Chairman Dominic Yagong has also refused to put the issue on the council agenda for the June 19 meeting at the West Hawaii Civic Center. In a memo Tuesday to Onishi, Yagong questioned what kind of update Onishi wanted.
He referred to a May 31 Stephens Media article that quoted a state Elections Office spokesman who said election duties between the state and the county are split, with the county responsible for voter registration, absentee voting and storage of election materials. The state is responsible for operating the voting system, running election day polling places, counting ballots and reporting the results.
Yagong on Wednesday questioned Onishi’s assertion that the state Elections Commission had advised the county to have the elections administrator and her supervisor, the county clerk, update the council.
“I don’t know what jurisdiction the Elections Commission has over the Hawaii County Council,” Yagong said, “and I don’t think the County Council should get involved in the operations of elections, especially in an election year.”
When asked about his refusal to give Onishi his allotted time on the agenda, when other council members are able to schedule time to have other departmental presentations, Yagong said he hasn’t denied Onishi’s request. He just wants more information.
“We haven’t denied it,” Yagong said. “I told him to answer the questions on what aspect of elections operations he wanted updates on.”
Yagong said it’s “demoralizing” to elections staff when Onishi “demeans” their work. But Onishi said he just wants to reassure the public.
“I just want the council to know and the public to know that they have everything under control,” Onishi said, adding that he’s concerned because the office plans to rack up overtime to conduct the election. “I think we need to clarify what’s going on.”
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.