Question: I have been trying to vote for the Hawaii teachers in the contest where they can win $100,000 each but I don’t think my vote went through the first time and when I went back to the website later it was down. … Are Hawaii’s votes counting?
Q: I am unable to locate the online ballot to vote for the three local teachers who are candidates in the Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge … Can you help?
Q: Auwe! The Hawaii teachers can’t win if we can’t vote. What’s going on?
Answer: As many readers have discovered, the voting website for the Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge malfunctioned, pretty much from the get-go. It’s a nationwide problem — a relief to readers who feared that Hawaii voters had overwhelmed the site and doomed their favorite teachers’ chances of winning.
“Technical difficulties” kept the online system from capturing votes regardless of location, said Carly Kraft, a Farmers Insurance spokeswoman based in Los Angeles.
Technicians are working to correct the problems as soon as possible, she said. Voting was supposed to begin Monday and run through the month of October. Once the website runs smoothly, the voting deadline will be extended to ensure that people have 31 days to cast their votes, she said.
Until then, an error message will remain: “We ran into a few small issues thanks to thousands of people across the country just like you who are voting for their favorite teacher proposals. The good news—we’re getting it all fixed so you can continue to support your favorite proposal throughout the month. Please check back to continue voting.”
The voting site — 808ne.ws/teachvote — may be working by the time this is published, but it wasn’t as of deadline Wednesday.
As the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Susan Essoyan reported Monday (808ne.ws/101sty), the three Hawaii public school teachers who are finalists each could win $100,000 for their schools if they attract enough votes from the public.
Ryan Chatfield of Aiea High School, Leimamo Lind-Strauss of Ho‘okena Elementary School and Zachary Morita of Niu Valley Middle School each need to make the top five among 15 finalists nationwide. The hefty educational grants would be used to fund innovative programs the teachers have proposed for their respective schools.
Once the voting mechanism is fixed, users will be able to vote once a day for as many teachers as they like, Kraft said.
Auwe
I was rear-ended by a dark colored, newer import at the corner of Keeaumoku and Beretania streets on Sept. 17. I pulled over so I wouldn’t block rush-hour traffic but the driver kept on going. I had no intention of filing a claim since my car is 12 years old and the damage was mostly cosmetic. I just wanted to call the police and have a police record on file. The other driver didn’t have anything to fear from me and should have had at least exchanged information with me. Karma is going to bite you in the behind! — K.C.
E Kala Mai
Please take me at my word when I say that I am sorry to have clogged that intersection during the water main break. I got stuck. — A driver
Mahalo
A belated mahalo to people at the Okinawan Festival who helped my wife when she became ill there on Sept. 1. At about noon that day, she was overcome by nausea and also fell down. Three strangers came to her rescue. I wish to thank the policeman, the young lady and the young man for their help in comforting her. As a result it was not necessary to call an ambulance. She rested and our daughter took her home. She is OK. Again, thank you all for your help. — Richard
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
