Elections Commission Acknowledges Sunshine Law Violation; Will Rehear Aug. 27 Actions

Honolulu — The Hawaii Elections Commission on Thursday voted to acknowledge that its Aug. 27 meeting failed to comply with the Sunshine Law after the agenda’s published Zoom link did not work, and commissioners agreed to readdress the motions from that meeting on a properly noticed agenda.

Deputy Attorney General Yi told the commission that the Office of Information Practices had sent a letter on Sept. 18 asking for a response to a complaint about the broken link and that the office had granted an extension to Nov. 14 to allow the commission to prepare its reply. Yi said the published agenda did not meet chapter 92’s requirements because it lacked a working link and that, as a legal matter, actions passed at the Aug. 27 meeting could be treated as void under HRS §92‑11; he recommended the commission either treat those motions as void or repass them at a later, properly noticed meeting so the record is cured.

The commission’s action came after more than two hours of public testimony in which dozens of speakers pressed for accountability. "Chair Mike Curtis must be removed from his position immediately," said Andy Crossland, one of the…