Mr. Scott Nago
Hawaii State Office of Elections
Mr. Scott Nago,
My
name is Mr. Carroll E. Cox, I reside in Mililani and am a registered
voter. I am the independent owner and producer of "THE CARROLL COX
SHOW" airing on KWAI 1080 AM Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m.
I am also involved in the issues of civil rights, environmental causes,
human and animal welfare and many other subjects of social importance.
I
would like to ask your assistance in obtaining answers to the following
questions related to the "shortage" of ballots at various polling
places within the State of Hawaii.
When did the
Office of Elections determine that it would allow some polling places to
have a shortage of ballots? Please specify date and time.
What specific information did the Office of Elections rely on to allow some polling places to have a shortage of ballots?
Were ballots not printed because the Office of Elections wanted to save money?
How were the polling places selected that would have a shortage of ballots?
What model or information did the Office of Elections use to withhold ballots from the polling places short of ballots.
Was the withholding reviewed and authorized by the Elections Commission?
If yes, when and how was the review conducted and when was it authorized?
Did
you advise your staff and Delivery Control personnel that some polling
places would be short of ballots? If yes, when and how did the
notification occur?
Did you or your office
advise the polling place chairman or person in charge that their polling
place would have a shortage of ballots? If yes, who, when and how were
they informed?
Did you or your agency consult
with any other persons not associated with the Office of Elections
regarding the shortage of ballots for the affected polling places? If
yes, who were they and when did the consultation occur?
What
other counties within the state had a shortage of ballots at polling
places? Please identify the county and the polling places that were
affected.
Please identify all polling places that were short of ballots and the number of ballots each were shorted.
What is the number of registered voters for each of the affected polling places?
What is the total number of ballots that your agency had printed for this recent voting period?
Did the Office of Elections save money by not printing some ballots? If yes, how much?
How were the polling places selected that were short of ballots? Was there a committee or was the decision made by you?
How many people did the shortage of ballots at polling places affect?
Have polling places been short of ballots in previous elections? If yes, how many and when did the shortage occur?
Initial
reports claimed that the Office of Elections only learned of the
shortage of ballots after polling places notified your office of
shortages. Why did your office not inform the polling places in advance
that they may experience a shortage of ballots if you knew your agency
had decided not to print the number of ballots that would be equal to
the registered voter list your office possessed?
I
have had the occasion to speak with a delivery control personnel and
was advised that they were not informed in advance or after delivering
ballots that some polling places would be short of ballots. If true,
why were they not informed if you knew in advance that you did not
print or order enough ballots equal to the number of registered voters?
It
is my understanding that your office was interested in increasing voter
registration and voter participation and supported by an aggressive
campaign to accomplish increased voter participation. If the foregoing
is true, the decision to not print ballots equal to the registered
voters for the affected polling places is suspect and suggests that the
Office of Elections voter recruitment program was not a bonafide or
meaningful campaign. I would appreciate your input on this
particular point.
I respectfully ask that you
abandon the practice of ignoring my request to speak with you or your
staff on this and other matters related to the functions of the Office
of Elections. I visited your office recently and made several telephone
calls requesting a meeting with you or a call back. I have also
offered to have you or members of your staff appear on my show free of
charge for voter education for the blind and voters with physical
disabilities, the homeless voter registration and other matters relating
to the function of your office. By you continuing to ignore my
telephone calls only serves to frustrate the public's right to be
informed of the functions of the Office of Elections.
Thank you,
Carroll Cox