Two top state Senate Democrats yesterday said they have no confidence in the state's chief elections officer after a briefing where he struggled with several questions about his budget and legal challenges to the state Office of Elections.

State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, D-14th (Halawa, Moanalua, Kamehameha Heights), the chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and state Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau), said the state Elections Commission should take a serious look at how chief elections officer Kevin Cronin is doing his job.

The Elections Commission has the power to hire and fire the chief elections officer.

Cronin appeared yesterday at an informational briefing before the committee to ask senators for help in obtaining additional state money to prepare for the 2010 elections. Cronin has asked the Lingle administration and lawmakers to lift a restriction on about $113,000 meant to convert staff to the civil service system for use in election preparations. He also wants lawmakers to allow his office to use some of the $2.8 million meant for new voting machines for election preparations.

"We wish we could, and would like to, say our election preparations are proceeding reasonably. We understand this is what many may like to hear and believe. Regretfully, however, we cannot provide such a report at this time," Cronin said.

"Unfortunately, our preparations are facing very serious challenges that, hopefully, with your assistance and that of other fronts, including the administration, we can mitigate."

Kim, however, questioned Cronin's decision to previously use money meant for civil service conversion on staff raises. She wondered about Cronin's own demand for a raise and his purchase of new office furniture shortly after taking over in 2008. She doubted Cronin's judgment in potentially allowing his wife — an attorney with election experience — to act as a volunteer on ballot operations with possible access to sensitive voter information.

Kim and other senators were also frustrated by Cronin's repeated refusal to answer questions about a Maui court ruling that requires new administrative rules before the state moves ahead with new voting machines in 2010 or the transmittal of election results from the Neighbor Islands to Honolulu over telephone lines and the Internet. Cronin also declined to answer questions about an administrative hearings officer's decision to throw out the contract for voting machines in 2008 after finding that the state acted in bad faith in selecting the highest bidder.

Cronin explained that he was unable to talk about the legal challenges because they involve pending litigation.

Kim told Cronin she has had repeated difficulty in getting reliable budget figures from his office. "I have some serious concerns on your knowledge, on your preparation, and gathering all the information to be prepared for your position as well as to come before us with the information we're asking," she said. "This is not just today, but in the past budget cycle that we've been through. It's like pulling teeth to get information."

Hooser acknowledged that Cronin and his staff are working hard to prepare for the elections but said he hoped members of the Elections Commission were watching the briefing or will watch it later. "I have no confidence whatsoever in the Office of Elections and the upcoming 2010 elections," Hooser said. "I really don't."

Last year, state Sen. Sam Slom, R-8th (Kahala, Hawai'i Kai), and other Republicans called for Cronin's resignation over concerns about how Cronin handled candidate-filing challenges and ballot preparation for the 2008 elections.