Hawaii County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi issued a press release, printed below:
The Office of the Hawaii County Clerk has received media inquiries concerning the elections workshops organized by the State Office of Elections. The State Office of Elections workshop schedule is as follows: (1) September 10, 2012 – Kauai; (2) September 27, 2012 – Maui; and (3) October 4, 2012 – Oahu. The media has questions concerning the reason why the Hawaii County Clerk did not attend the September 10, 2012 training on Kauai.
Jamae Kawauchi stated, “I did not attend the September 10, 2012 workshop on Kauai because I had already been scheduled to meet with Hawaii Island precinct officials on September 10, 2012 to discuss the primary election, issues and concerns presented by the primary election, and preparation and planning for the November 6, 2012 general election. The State Office of Elections was notified of the scheduling conflict and that the Deputy County Clerk and the elections division would be attending the workshop on Kauai in my place. I also let them know that I would be attending the trainings to be held on Maui and on Oahu.”
Jamae Kawauchi further stated, “We are grateful for the support that the State Office of Elections and the counties have extended to Hawaii County. I will continue to ask for their support to help me and the elections division staff ensure that Hawaii County has a fair and well-run election.”
“In the meetings with Hawaii County precinct officials, we are connecting with them, and I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know these dedicated, earnest and community-service minded citizens. I am impressed with their commitment to give more than 100% effort in their positions as precinct officials and I look forward to continuing to work with the State Office of Elections, the counties, the precinct officials and the public to ensure a fair and well-run general election.”
Not in the press release: Clerk Kawauchi has scheduled a second round of meetings with precinct officials. Precinct Chairs and Voter Assistance Officials received a letter in the mail asking them to attend mandatory meetings the week of October 8, just four weeks prior to the November 6 General Election. The letter bills each meeting as “a mandatory Primary Election Debriefing to discuss any suggestions, concerns, and/or problems that may have occurred in the Primary Election to prepare for the upcoming 2012 General Election.” Some of the precinct officials have said since they already attended a Primary Elections Debrief Meeting the week of September 10 and shared everything they could about the August 11 Primary, they’re not certain what they can add at this point.
