Investigate ballot bungle

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 10, 2012

~~<p>Legislators and other officials must take the reins following the election-day train wreck — an apt description when voters are kept waiting at the polls for hours, without good reason — and make sure reforms occur to prevent that from happening again.</p>
<p>Now that the dust has settled from the upheaval of the week, it's clear that the ballot shortage fiasco at two dozen Oahu precincts did some serious damage to voter trust, which has been in short supply already. Hawaii has occupied the bottom rung on the voter-turnout ladder, and the Nov. 6 election did little to propel the state upward. A serious inquiry into what happened and what could be improved needs to happen before the issue becomes subsumed in other lawmaking concerns when the Legislature convenes.</p>
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Legislators and other officials must take the reins following the election-day train wreck — an apt description when voters are kept waiting at the polls for hours, without good reason — and make sure reforms occur to prevent that from happening again.

Now that the dust has settled from the upheaval of the week, it's clear that the ballot shortage fiasco at two dozen Oahu precincts did some serious damage to voter trust, which has been in short supply already. Hawaii has occupied the bottom rung on the voter-turnout ladder, and the Nov. 6 election did little to propel the state upward. A serious inquiry into what happened and what could be improved needs to happen before the issue becomes subsumed in other lawmaking concerns when the Legislature convenes. Login for more...