GOP to staff nearly all polls with monitors
| • | Voter's Guide |
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i Republican Party has stepped up efforts to monitor polling places on Election Day and expects to fill volunteer poll-watcher positions at most precincts Tuesday.
The GOP is careful not to say it fears irregularities, stating that it is "making every possible effort to assure integrity will be maintained in the election," said Micah Kane, chairman of the state Republican Party.
They also say they are just trying to keep pace with the Democratic Party, which, as the state's ruling party since 1962, has had the power to assign precinct chairmen or chairwomen, ensuring a Democratic presence at the polls.
The GOP has recruited 401 poll-watchers for the state's 351 precincts — 227 for O'ahu, 68 on the Big Island, 65 on Maui and 41 on Kaua'i, said Rex Quidilla, administrative assistant to state elections chief Dwayne Yoshina. Some precincts will have more than one Republican, working in shifts.
The Democrats will have only 21 poll-watchers across the state — eight on O'ahu and 13 on Maui, with none on Kaua'i or the Big Island.
Kane said his party actively worked to put volunteers in place because the Democratic Party already has representation among paid precinct officials statewide.
"The law requires that the precinct chairman be of the same party as the governor. That's a bad law," he said.
Democratic Party head Lorraine Akiba said she had seen no sign that having all precinct chair positions from the same party caused difficulties at voting time.
Quidilla of the state elections office said there is no legal requirement that different parties be represented among polling officials, but the Office of Elections and Neighbor Island county clerks make every effort to see that the second-ranking precinct official, the voter assistance official, be of a different party than the chairman or chairwoman.
"We're not able to do it in every precinct, but I think we have a pretty good record," he said.
Kane said having poll-watchers in place "allows us to assure that our voters are turning out" and to call party officials to urge party members to vote, Kane said.
Akiba said the Democratic Party did not seek to place poll-watchers because it already has representation at the polls.
"We have most of our Democrats helping out as precinct officials, and our priority has been in getting out the vote, helping people get to the polls," she said.
This year, and in every election since Republican Gov. William Quinn was defeated by Democrat John A. Burns in 1962, the governor has been a Democrat, so all precincts have been chaired by Democrats. Other paid precinct officials can be of any party or none.
Each party is authorized to have one unpaid poll-watcher in each precinct. The Free Energy, Green, Libertarian and Natural Law parties provided none for the general election, Quidilla said.
"We've asked the parties for poll-watchers. That's part of the complement of workers at a precinct. Poll-watchers are trained at the highest level, and they provide the first-level check that things are working properly, that there's fairness at the polls," Quidilla said.
While poll-watchers are not allowed to disrupt voting activities, they may examine the poll book, listing which voters cast ballots.
Quidilla said that in precincts with a shortage of paid poll workers, elections officials may ask poll-watchers to take on additional tasks.
Most poll workers make $80 or $75 on Election Day, depending on the position. Precinct chairmen or chairwomen are paid $85 to $145, depending on the size of the precinct.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
