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Public divides over mail‑in voting as commission reviews PIG recommendations
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Summary
Dozens of residents and voter groups urged the Elections Commission either to keep universal mail‑in voting for access or to return to in‑person precinct voting with robust chain‑of‑custody checks. Testimony focused on accessibility, alleged gaps in ballot tracking, and proposals for stronger daily reports and county coordination.
Public testimony at the Hawaii Elections Commission’s Dec. 3 meeting centered on competing visions for how ballots should be cast and accounted for.
Supporters of retaining universal mail‑in voting — including League of Women Voters volunteers, veterans, caregivers and county residents — argued the system preserves access for people with mobility challenges and for residents who cannot leave work. "Mail‑in voting supplemented by voter service centers reduces the enormous task of hiring and training coworkers… and makes it easier to deliver accurate and timely results," said Keoni Piton (public testimony), describing conditions in some islands where geographic size limits precinct access.
Opponents argued the state’s universal mail‑in system widened the chain‑of‑custody window and left gaps between envelope receipts and ballots counted at the state level. Speakers called for a return to single‑day in‑person precinct voting or much stronger chain‑of‑custody requirements. "Counting the ballots handling the ballots in the open is just not very secure," said Judith Mills Wong, who urged sealed containers and observers at each transfer point.
The public record included repeated calls for independent audits, improved drop‑box protocols, and BallotTrax or other vendor logs to reconcile USPS scans with county and state records. Several speakers asked the commission to press the Office of Elections and county clerks for daily reconciliation logs and to ensure independent observers can verify transfers.
What’s next: The commission recommended multiple follow‑ups — a state auditor request, a PIG to work with county clerks on chain‑of‑custody and daily reporting, and letters to the USPS inspector general and vendors to obtain delivery and tracking logs.
