Hawaii Elections Commission Launches Investigation
Board wants to know what went wrong during primary.
The Hawaii Elections Commission has launched an investigation into聽Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago’s handling of the primary.
The commission decided Friday to聽form three subcommittees to look into why聽800 absentee ballots on Maui were not counted until days after the Aug. 9 election as well as decisions that may have disenfranchised聽Big Island voters affected by Tropical Storm Iselle.
The Elections Office decided the day before the primary to close two precincts in Puna due to the storm. A walk-in makeup election was held for those voters Aug. 15, but some聽say it should have been pushed back another week because many homes were still without power and fallen trees limited access.
Two state lawmakers called on the commission to fire Nago, but that seems unlikely.
The commission plans to meet again Oct. 3 to discuss the issues further and possibly take additional action.
Look to Civil Beat later for a full report.
Hawaii Election Chief Scott Nago talks to reporters after the Elections Commission meeting, Friday.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
