On Politics: Hawaii Democrats need to prepare now to avoid chaotic 2020 presidential preference poll

Remember how a lack of planning made the 2008 and 2016 Hawaii presidential preference polls an excruciating exercise in participatory democracy for Hawaii Democrats trying to get into the early presidential action?

In 2008, the favorite son, then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, was luring thousands of new Democrats to the primary election against then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. For a contest that usually draws about 5,000 loyal Democrats, that preference poll lured an estimated 25,000 new voters. The Democratic Party, unready for the Obama wave, could not cope as it herded voters in schools to vote, but ran out of preprinted ballots.

In the mayhem, then-Congressman Neil Abercrombie famously jumped up on a table at the Manoa Elementary cafeteria and told voters to just write their choice on a scrap of paper and turn it in. Hawaii’s senior U.S. senator, the late Daniel K. Inouye, loyal if not spry, stood in line for nearly two hours to cast a vote in Waikiki.

Then in 2016, preference poll chaos was becoming a Hawaii Democratic Party learned behavior as the polling places set opening times, but not closing times — so when the voters dwindled, officials just shut the polls, infuriating thousands who thought they could vote late in the day.

Enter the crucial 2020 presidential preference poll to be held April 4 and featuring mail-in balloting.

Everyone who is a registered voter and a registered Democrat will be mailed a ballot to be filled in and mailed back. Registering to vote and get in on the preference polls action can be handled online.

The plan still needs the approval of the Democratic National Committee, says interim chairwoman of the Hawaii Democratic Party Kate Stanley.

The former state administrator and accomplished bureaucratic troubleshooter is a former Hawaii national Democratic committeewoman, who said the new plan is something she has been fine-tuning for several months.

“Our plan is governed by rules of the DNC. We can’t just do any old thing we want,” Stanley said, adding that she thinks the mail-in ballot for a presidential preference primary appears to be unique.

Poll results will decide how Hawaii Democrats divvy up their 34 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, according to a complex formula. The polls are conducted at the local level. But unlike a caucus, the voting in Hawaii is by secret ballot.

Presidential candidates have until next January to file with the Hawaii party. Officials say they expect between five and 10 candidates to still be running in early 2020.

Stanley said she expects more than 55,000 voters. Last time, Democrats had 30,000 show up. There are about 95,000 on party records, but Stanley said there are duplicates.

“There are 75,000 records that we are confident with,” she said.

If at the beginning of the campaign, the Democrats can get 55,000 Democrats to vote in a presidential poll without the turmoil of past presidential years, just that will be an achievement — even before they get around to selecting someone to run against President Donald Trump.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.