Isle republicans brave rain to vote in caucus

Undeterred by rain that blew sideways and broke umbrellas, Republican voters lined up Tuesday night to cast their ballots in the Hawaii Republican caucus.

“We’d be here in a hurricane because it’s our patriotic duty,” said Rick Walkinshaw of Hawaii Kai, who voted for Florida’s U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio at Kaiser High School’s cafeteria in Hawaii Kai.

State Rep. Gene Ward (R, Kalama Valley, Queen’s Gate, Hawaii Kai) looked out over the lines in the school cafeteria that persisted beyond the 8 p.m. closing time and said, “They just keep coming and coming. This is impressive.”

The last Republican caucus generated 300 votes out of Kaiser High and Ward predicted twice as many ballots would be cast Tuesday night, in part, due to excitement generated by billionaire businessman Donald Trump.

Hal Helfenbein, who works in information technology at the University of Hawaii, voted for Trump at nearby Kalani High School because of the appeal of Trump’s outsider status.

“He represents something that I don’t want anymore — a politician in government,” Helfenbein said. “I want a businessman.”

Bernadette Valdivia, 25, of Kahala was a first-time voter who cast her ballot for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

“I know he’s going to be a good president and a good leader,” Valdivia said.

Kahala resident Nancy Van Allen waited until the last second before making up her mind. She had been an early Trump supporter, but said, “It’s just gotten a little too annoying.”

Dr. Robert Smitson, 33, of Kahala, cradled his 11-month-old daughter, Isla, and carefully considered his answer when asked which candidate got his vote. “I just know who I’m not voting for,” Smitson said.

At Mililani Mauka Elementary School, caucus volunteers let voters in almost an hour before the 6 p.m. start because of the weather.

“Hopefully, we have a good turnout,” said Alberto Morales Jr., a 54-year-old retired Marine from Mililani Mauka.

Morales voted for Cruz, whom he called “a little more serious. … Hopefully the presidency comes back to my side.”

Jacob Fodde, of Mililani Mauka, brought his 8-year-old stepdaughter, Lily, with him to Mililani Mauka Elementary to watch him vote for Trump.

Fodde had told Lily: “If you don’t vote, you’re kind of wasting your voice. I told her in the car, ‘If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.’”

With Trump in the race, Fodde said his vote will be counted in “one of the most important elections this nation has ever faced.”

Trump divided Ben and Netta Fernandez of Mililani Mauka. He voted for Trump while she picked Cruz, whom she called “a true conservative” who “went against the establishment.”

Connie and Jerry Omo, both 51, waited outside Mililani Mauka Elementary for more than 30 minutes to cast their ballots.

Connie, a weather squadron technician at Hickam Air Force Base, supports Ohio Gov. John Kasich because “he hasn’t been part of the ridiculous show of debates. … He’s the governor of Ohio, so he has the executive experience.”

But Jerry, a photographer and business owner, voted for Rubio because he is “kind of an outsider.”

While they could not agree on their candidates, Jerry said he and his wife both support “the underdogs.”

Paula Blum of Kahala has had it with all of the politicians from both major political parties.

Trump got Blum’s vote at Kalani High because “he’s not politically correct. So that’s why I like him.”

But if Trump wins the White House and Blum does not agree with his policies, Blum knows what she has to do.

“If I don’t like what he’s doing in four years,” she said, “I’ll vote him out.”

Overall, the two-hour balloting period went smoothly. One exception occurred at about 7:30 p.m. when Honolulu police were called to a polling place when a Trump supporter got into an argument with a Cruz supporter, according to the Associated Press.

A Trump campaign volunteer complained that an attendee wearing a shirt with Cruz’s name on it was in violation of election rules about campaigning around a polling place. The man wearing the shirt countered that as long as he was 50 feet away from the ballot box, he could stay at the site.

The Hawaii Republican Party volunteer leading the voting at the polling station said the man could take off his shirt or turn his shirt inside-out when close to the ballot box to avoid breaking any rule.

No arrests were made.