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Primary Election Day - 2008

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  • #16
    Re: Primary Election Day

    Some noteworthy results so far:

    Senate District 17 - I predicted Michelle Kidani would win this race, and so far, she's leading Ron Menor by 137 votes with about 2/3 of the ballots counted. I'm pretty sure Kidani's got this won.

    House District 42 - Incumbent Rep. Rida Cabanilla losing by a scant 7 votes to Mike Shultz for the Democratic nomination. Only about 12.5% of the ballots have been counted, so this race will be one to keep an eye on.

    Honolulu Mayor - Wasn't a matter of if the Mufster would be winning, but how much. In the latest printout, he's less than a percetage point below 50% with about 60% of the ballots tallied. This one might not be decided until tomorrow morning, with every vote counted.
    This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Primary Election Day

      Think he'll call for a recount? It would be cheaper to pay for that, than run all those ads for the next 6 (?) weeks.
      Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Primary Election Day

        So, any big surprises in his Primary Erection Day!

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Primary Election Day

          Originally posted by mel View Post
          In my district the only races that mattered were the non-partisan.
          In mine, there were more contests in my party (Libertarian) than in any of the others. That never happens. I was kind of happy to see it.

          Turnout at our precinct was sparse at the time I voted early this afternoon.
          It was bad all over. The usual morning rush lasted about twenty minutes where I was. Then it slowed to a trickle, where it stayed all day. At about 4:30, when the after-work rush usually comes, we had a small bump in activity, but it was tiny and short-lived. When we closed the doors at 7:00, nobody had entered in five minutes.

          Originally posted by AlohaKine View Post
          Nobody wanted to use the electronic machine. All it would take is a programmed code to change votes and their would be no evidence. I don't trust it.
          This is actually true of the paper ballot-counting machine as well. There's really no way for a voter to be sure if his or her vote is counted according to his or her intentions. For the paper ballot-counter, the physical ballot is at least held onto and stored for future counting, if necessary. For the electronic voting, a printout of your vote is generated when you're just about finished. You are asked to review the printout to verify that it reflects your choices before you are finished. That printout, kept in the machine, is supposed to be the physical paper trail. I think it's as dependable as the paper ballot, to be honest.

          Originally posted by Honoruru View Post
          I thought the ballot itself was poorly designed. It had a large rectangular box next to the the candidates. Normally, when you see a square or rectangle, you would be inclined to place a check mark or an "X". But here, you're supposed to fill it in completely. Why not use a circle or oval? I have a feeling a large number of ballots were invalidated because people put in a check mark or an "X" mark.
          D'Alani will tell you that several ballots were spoiled yesterday when voters had begun to fill in a candidate's box, leaving just a small black line, before completely filling in another candidate's box. That ballot-counter was SENSITIVE. Just using and X probably would have worked just fine, based on what we observed.

          Originally posted by Random View Post
          My only complaint is that they do not provide instructions inside the voting booth, not counting the instructions on the ballot.
          They were supposed to. Your precinct chair was supposed to receive in his or her supply box the voter instruction posters that are taped to the insides of the voting booths. My own box was two short, so two of our booths didn't have the instructions, but they were supposed to, and so should yours have been. Please call the office of elections to express your concern about this.

          It was a long, long day, despite the low voter turnout. There was a bit of confusion with the electronic voting machine and with the primary ballot, but because I was well-staffed (I recruited most of my own people), most people understood what they were supposed to do. I'm looking forward to the general, after I take a few days to hibernate.
          But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
          GrouchyTeacher.com

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Primary Election Day

            Originally posted by scrivener View Post
            Please call the office of elections to express your concern about this.
            Sighs. I don't like calling Maui, even if it's a toll-free number. I'll wait until Moloka'i have its own county government.
            Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

            Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Primary Election Day

              Originally posted by scrivener View Post
              There was a bit of confusion with the electronic voting machine and with the primary ballot, but because I was well-staffed (I recruited most of my own people), most people understood what they were supposed to do. I'm looking forward to the general, after I take a few days to hibernate.
              You can do that? Shouldn't the precinct team members be randomly selected for fairness?
              Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

              Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Primary Election Day

                Originally posted by Random View Post
                You can do that? Shouldn't the precinct team members be randomly selected for fairness?
                Depends on what you mean by fairness. If you mean that a precinct team should be represented across different political parties, that's usually not a problem since I'm always the only L on the roster. We had a few Ds a few Rs, a few Is, and an N.

                If you mean that it's not fair that I had a group of competent, intelligent, reliable people while other precinct chairs had to take whoever was given them, I'll just say that I've worked in that situation and it is my opinion that the integrity of the vote was compromised. By choosing who my Voter Assistance Official was, I assured myself that I wasn't going to have to keep an eye on her all day long and could, in fact, count on her to tell me where I was possibly violating procedure. By choosing precinct officials whom I could count on to show up on time (when, as you know, other precincts often have officials who don't show up at all), I was assured to have those doors open at the official time. D'Alani was my ballot-box official, and although I didn't actively recruit him, I knew that was where I wanted him, because instead of getting frustrated or embarrassed, voters whose ballots were spoiled were very calmly reassured that it wasn't a problem and that we would take care of getting the voter a new ballot.

                The office of elections has a ridiculously difficult job, when you think about how hard it is to make ONE precinct run smoothly. Those people have to try and get them ALL to run smoothly. It is my opinion that by recruiting many of my own people, I helped them by giving them one fewer precinct to worry about.

                That's if I did a good job. I'm still not sure.
                But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
                GrouchyTeacher.com

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Primary Election Day

                  Originally posted by mel View Post
                  In my district the only races that mattered were the non-partisan.
                  That, in a nutshell, sums up why voter turnout in the Primary was so poor. In some precincts on Oahu, the only race that people were voting on was for Mayor. Maybe for City Council, provided your councilmember was up for re-election. And then the Board of Education. That's it.

                  In too many House and Senatorial Districts, too many incumbents were running unopposed in their party's respective primary. The only time such races would be wide open and interesting was when no incumbent was running, or when an incumbent was disgraced and in trouble (like Ron Menor).

                  I still think that if our state's primary elections were held in conjunction with the Presidential primary schedule, it would increase turnout in a positive way. But I know what the naysayers will say. It's gonna cost too much $$$$ to have primaries for the Democrats, Republicans, and 3rd party/independents on seperate dates. If one is going to focus only on the initial costs, then yes, they are right. But if increased voter participation result in better candidates being elected to office, maybe in the long run, it would actually end up saving taxpayers money as higher voter turnouts mean our lawmakers are held to a greater level of scrutiny and accountability when it comes to cutting out wasteful spending and shaping a govt. that is more efficient.
                  This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Primary Election Day

                    Originally posted by scrivener View Post
                    At about 4:30, when the after-work rush usually comes, we had a small bump in activity, but it was tiny and short-lived. When we closed the doors at 7:00, nobody had entered in five minutes.
                    You stayed open until 7pm?! At my polling place, Church of the Crossroads in Mō‘ili‘ili, they closed at 6pm sharp. I know, because I was the last voter!

                    Initially, when I got there, a gaunt elderly man was outside, removing the posted voter rolls scotch-taped to the wall. My watch said 6:00, so I asked him if they were still open, and he said that they had already closed. As I turned to leave, this portagee guy who could have been Lanai Boyee™’s twin arrived, demanding to be let in.

                    The two of us tag-teamed the old man, as a third female “late voter” cheered us on — until he finally relented. My punishment for being the last voter: I had to stay late, until the precinct workers removed all the ballots from the machine, and stuffed them in boxes. This was to sign official documentation stating that I had bore witness to the act, which I did before rushing off to Aunty Lynn’s pau hana election party.

                    We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                    — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                    USA TODAY, page 2A
                    11 March 1993

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Hooooooold on thar!

                      What was the schedualed time to close the polling place doors?

                      I got denied entry at 6pm straight up.
                      https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Primary Election Day

                        Originally posted by TuNnL View Post
                        You stayed open until 7pm?! At my polling place, Church of the Crossroads in Mō‘ili‘ili, they closed at 6pm sharp. I know, because I was the last voter!
                        Sorry. I meant 6:00. Our instructions are to let through the doors anyone who is lined up at 6:00. If someone's running in from the parking lot, I say that's the same thing as being in line. If you're a registered voter, our job is to help you vote. If those doors were still open when you arrived, they should definitely have let you in with no hassle.

                        Originally posted by Ron Whitfield View Post
                        What was the schedualed time to close the polling place doors?

                        I got denied entry at 6pm straight up.
                        Again, this is wrong. Yes, you should have been there with time to spare, but if you're there at what would reasonably be considered 6:00, you should be allowed to vote.
                        But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
                        GrouchyTeacher.com

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Primary Election Day

                          That was just a typo by Scrivener, he closed the poll at 6:00PM sharp. I have to agree with all that he said, he was an outstanding leader and always showed concerned for how everyone was doing, if we were comfortable , needed a break, etc. I feel it's something eveyone should volunteer for at least once just to appreciate what the officials go through and to get a feel of the voting process.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Hooooooold on thar!

                            Originally posted by Ron Whitfield View Post
                            What was the schedualed time to close the polling place doors?
                            Well, according to the Office of Elections “Fact Sheet” for precinct officials, all polling places are supposed to close at 6pm. But that was irrelevant, since technically, I was in line at 6pm. (Not to mention the fact that there were still people voting inside when I arrived)

                            Originally posted by Ron Whitfield View Post
                            I got denied entry at 6pm straight up.
                            Again, the rule is, if you are in line at 6pm, they cannot deny you entry. The poll workers are on the clock until 7pm, or until the Delivery & Collections (DC) team arrives to pick up the completed ballots.

                            We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                            — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                            USA TODAY, page 2A
                            11 March 1993

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Primary Election Day

                              They were kinda in their right to deny, as I and a freind were merely approaching the door (and quite known...) from about 30' when they closed them.
                              It was a judgement call, and they made it their way. I would have done it different.
                              When I did my couple of chair duties, I always counted off the seconds to shut the door, hustling in any last minute straglers.
                              I just thot it was at 7pm ...

                              I submitted my request to chair again this year but never got a response from the commitee.
                              Last edited by Ron Whitfield; September 21, 2008, 05:24 PM.
                              https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Primary Election Day

                                Scrivener, thanks for being a faithful election worker/leader in your district. The job is not easy and most polling places are not very well ventilated. To stay all day and watch a slow count of people trickle in certainly takes a commitment to the process.

                                A few cycles ago I was a party observer at my precinct which required me to stay for the 2nd half of the day at that time (we tagged teamed the times so that no person had to stay all day). Doing that was kind of an eye opener as I got to watch ans signed off on the process of closing the polling place down. What was kind of odd to me at the time was that the paper ballots were just simply collected out of the machine and dumped in 4 boxes in a non-organized way. All they had to do was box em kind of evenly without counting. What is more important is the processing and collection of the data card (similar at that time to a compact flash card). There is a certain process to secure it or whatever and put it in the right envelope for pick-up.

                                The electronic voting machine had its own shut-down process with the emphasis again on its own data card. The data cards are the most important.

                                Getting back to yesterday's election I am disappointed that the turnout was so low given the high visibility of the 3 mayoral races in 3 counties and of course the rail issue thing on Oahu.

                                I think turnout will be larger for the general election as a lot of people should come out for that presidential vote.
                                I'm still here. Are you?

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