Commission votes to ask Hawaii County for USPS mail-receipt records in 2024 count reconciliation

The Elections Commission voted to direct the Office of Elections to request and collect business-reply-mail (BRM) receipts from the U.S. Postal Service that correspond to Hawaii County’s handling of mail ballots during the 2024 general election.

Commissioner Ralph Cushni moved that the Office of Elections obtain from Hawaii County “the complete set of USPS business-reply-mail receipts accounting for all mail ballots received from the postal service during the 2024 general election” and provide them to the commission before the next meeting. Supporters said BRM receipts are an independent third-party record showing how many ballot envelopes were delivered into county custody and that those receipts are needed to reconcile county collection records with state totals.

Opponents and some county representatives told the commission that counties do not rely on BRM statements to reconcile ballot counts, and that the county’s reconciliation uses other cross-checks with the statewide voter registration system (SVRS) and ballot scanning systems. Commissioners discussed the possibility that BRM statements might be incomplete and noted the need for the county and USPS to coordinate. After debate, the commission voted to request the records and directed staff to obtain them from the county and to follow up with the USPS if needed.

Commissioners characterized the action as a transparency step intended to produce independent documentation the commission can use during follow-up reviews of the permitted-interaction-group reports and related concerns about ballot accounting in 2024.

The motion carries as a staff directive; the content and availability of BRM receipts will depend on what Hawaii County and the USPS can provide.