Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 5, 1 May 1997 — OHA voting process still clouded [ARTICLE]

OHA voting process still clouded

The Hawai'i Supreme Court says there shall be "no (new) election." That is O.K. But the crux of the matter is they refused to address the central issue — how pervasive is the problem of: nonHawaiians receiving OHA ballots? And of registered Hawaiians not receiving OHA ballots? And of valid registered Hawaiians' names being removed (from the voter list) when renewing their state driver's license, whieh is totally unrelated since they had voted in many previous OHA elections. I asked through my attorney to subpoena the state's 1996 OHA voting records. In January the State attorney general's office and Mr. Yoshino agreed there are problems with the OHA eleetion process, by agreeing to set up a task force with myself and Sam Kealoha participating to elean up the OHA election process. But we could not agree with set-

tlement unless our traveling expenses were paid to go to Honolulu to straighten up this state obligation. The state refused. A dark cloud of doubt remains on the validity of the OHA election procedures. I was born on the July 4. In a democracy the state has a fundamental obligation to insure the integrity of the voting process. They say we were on "a fishing expedition." We say that the state is sitting on the records that ean vahdate or invalidate our claims. OHA has important business to get on with. I will continue to be active and available in any and all ways, as I have been these past 26 years, to improve the conditions of the Hawaiian people and these islands. Moanike'ala Akaka, Hilo former OHA Trustee