by Andrew Walden

The clock is ticking down to the March 12, 2024 Hawaii Republican Presidential Caucus.  But the Hawaii Republican Party seems to have plenty of time to waste.

On December 27, 2023 I provided Hawaii Republican Party so-called ‘leaders’ with a  list of the 44 Hawaii Republican Presidential Caucus locations I had reserved over the pervious three months.  HIGOP has already paid for these locations.  Each was properly correlated with voting precincts or, on the Big Island, zip codes.

Now, HIGOP Chair Tamara McKay has finally got around to publishing a screwed-up version of my list.

Gone: Locations already reserved and paid for; Molokai, Lanai, Hana, Captain Cook--and worst of all--Lahaina. 

As caucus chair in 2012 and 2016, I got all of these locations open and staffed with no problems--and was prepared to do it again in 2024.  Current Republican ‘leaders’ are afraid to even try.

Lahaina fire victims will have to drive 40 miles round trip to Kihei to cast a ballot.  Hana residents face a four hour round trip.  Lanai and Molokai residents must fly to vote. 

On the Big Island they abandoned my zip-code based system, which I devised because several Big Island precincts are too large to use effectively.  Some residents of precinct 8-2 will now have to drive from Kamuela to Waikoloa to vote instead of walking across the highway to Waimea Elem School.  Captain Cook residents of precinct 5-1 will have to drive to Naalehu.  Honomu residents of precinct 1-1 will have to drive to Honokaa.

Precinct 5-1 residents are allowed to cast ballots in both Naalehu and Mountain View, thus opening the door to double-dipping voter fraud.  Apparently, "Election Integrity" is just a slogan.

There are 60 days to caucus day and the great accomplishment is to finally get around to publishing a screwed-up version of the caucus polling place list I gave them over two weeks ago. 

They still haven't trained a single caucus staffer--cancelling several training sessions I had set for the first two weeks of January.

Imagine where they would be if I had not given them the list.

HIGOP Caucus list: HERE.

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BONUS -- Highlights of Jan 10, 2024, Oahu caucus organization meeting on Zoom:

1) Honolulu County Chair Steve Lipscomb repeatedly pushes the idea of "getting $5 or $10" from caucus goers and/or charging dues for GOP members.

2) 20 minutes discussion of getting armed guards for all caucus sites from company connected to HIGOP Vice Chair Teri Savaiinaea.  Owner of company suddenly comes on line (while vaping) to pitch his services.  Hello conflict of interest?

3) Extensive discussion about signwaving and doorknocking to promote caucus -- but when one person proposed sending out caucus post cards to HIGOP membership, a plan that worked well in 2016, HIGOP Chair Tamara McKay shot it down saying postcards will end up in garbage.

4) Their big idea is to have HD45 Chair Jackie Beckman host weekly zoom meeting on caucus progress.

5) One genius keeps joking about Kalani HS volunteers 'voting' the left-over ballots at the end of the night.

6) McKay says deadline to line up volunteers is May 5 -- or Mar 5 -- and it is in the rules.  (It isn't).

Tamara says they have 100-135 volunteers.  I expect 50 of these are on Kauai.

There was no roll-call of locations and volunteer counts for each.

Only 8 Oahu locations were represented on the call.

• Kaiser
• Kalani
• RL Stevenson
• Mililani Waena
• Honouliuli
• Nanakuli HS
• Waianae AOG
• King Int (Kaneohe)

Only one of these eight (Jackie--Waianae AOG) claimed to have any number of volunteers lined up.  Three people were on the call from Kalani HS.  One voter said she was from Diamond Head area and asked where she should go vote.  Nobody on the call knew the answer.  15 locations not represented at all.  Only 10-15 people on call counting people who dipped in and out.

It is quite possible that only a few locations will be staffed and most will not open up.