Column: Elections office needs to prepare for vote-by-mail problems

The May 15 proclamation issued by the Office of Elections disappoints in so many ways (elections.hawaii.gov/2020-proclamation)!

In a few months, a potential 750,000 registered voters will vote by mail (VBM) for the very first time statewide in Hawaii. We’re in the midst of a pandemic causing — among much else — unprecedented social disruption and unpredictability. A second wave of COVID-19 is predicted during the lead-up to the general election in the fall.

Many voters will not understand the new VBM process, or even be aware of it until days or hours before it begins. Common Cause Hawaii has already heard questions such as, “Do I have to register again?” (No, you don’t.)

Yet the proclamation lists only two voter service centers (VSCs) on Oahu, three on Maui, two on Hawaii island and one on Kauai as sufficient to handle not just in-person voting, same-day voter registration and the collection of voted ballots — but also the lost, undelivered and spoiled ballots, plus the confusion, mistakes, mishaps and countless questions that VBM’s launch will inevitably bring.

They’re open for only 10 business days prior to each election, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday — the hours when most people work.

Though another unfamiliar complication, drop boxes to receive completed ballots will help. On sister islands, they’re mostly at police and fire stations, a sensible choice, and many are open 24 hours. But on Oahu, with two-thirds of the state’s voters, every drop box will be at a park, during park hours, or at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale until 4:30 p.m. Again, the hours when people work. And during a pandemic, those places may all close entirely.

If Hawaii voters’ introduction to VBM is the train wreck that the proclamation currently foretells, not only will there be disgusted voters and contested results, but Hawaii’s voters could be so disillusioned that turnout actually drops, furthering our reputation as The State That Won’t Vote.

But, in a wondrous windfall, the Office of Elections now has nearly $3.3 million from the federal CARES Act specifically for 2020 election security. How will it use that money?

It could direct the County Clerk election administrators to: (1) open more VSCs in each county in convenient locations and with longer hours; and (2) establish additional drop boxes co-located in essential businesses — like grocery stores and pharmacies — open 24 hours daily and available more than five days prior to election days. The Office of Elections and county clerks can turn this election from a potential statewide fiasco, into a triumph for the democratic process.

States are struggling with how to vote by mail. After years of pushing by our organization and others, Hawaii’s Legislature wisely enacted VBM in 2019, and the Elections Office assured legislators that it was prepared to handle VBM for the entire state by this year. If we do it right, Hawaii can be an example to every other state — not just for 2020, but from now on. If we do it right.

There’s still plenty of time to adjust some policies and make 2020’s elections work as an example to the whole country. Do you want to vote? Do you want your vote to be counted? Do you want to be able to ask a question about this brand-new process without having to drive halfway across your island and stand in line for hours, 6 feet apart?

Please let the Office of Elections know at 453-8683 (neighbor islands, toll-free at 1-800-442-8683), or elections@hawaii.gov. More importantly, tell your County Clerk (elections.hawaii.gov/resources/county-election-divisions) that Hawaii needs more VSCs and drop boxes in convenient locations and with longer hours.

Brodie Lockard, who founded 350Hawaii.org, has been on Common Cause Hawaii’s advisory board since 2014.