State taking over election duties after Big Island primary woes

In the wake of the problems on the Big Island on Primary Election day, the state is stepping in to oversee the General Election.

Hawaii Chief Election Officer Scott Nago announced today that the Office of Elections will rescind its delegation of state responsibilities to the County of Hawaii.

The state office will administer election day activities such as delivery and collection, control center and polling place operations.

"We believe that this decision best ensures a successful general election in the County of Hawaii," Nago said. "It will allow the county to focus its resources exclusively on voter registration and absentee voting."

This move is meant to directly address the issues of polling place communication and timely delivery of supplies to polling places. Nago emphasized that the change will be transparent to Big Island voters and poll workers.

The office has located a control center and a counting center in the Hilo State Office Building. Ballot Operations Section Head Lori Tomczyk will be the State’s lead administrator. In primary election, Tomczyk provided support for state election operations in Hilo.

The changes mean County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi will have fewer responsibilities. She was in charge of the primary election, where 13 of 40 Big Island precincts opened late, and some had voting materials delivered late. After the polls opened late, Governor Abercrombie issued an executive order to keep the polls open an extra 90 minutes on the Big Island, which delayed election results.

We’ll have more on what the changes mean for Big Island voters coming up on the KHON2 News at 5, 6, and 10.