News Release from Hawaii County Police Department September 11, 2012

The Hawaiʻi Police Department has initiated an investigation into an allegation of Voter Fraud on Hawaiʻi Island.

The investigation was launched based on information provided by the Hawaiʻi County Office of Elections involving elections conducted in 2010.

Voter Fraud, under section 19.3.5 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, is a class C felony.

The investigation is being handled by Detectives of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section.

At this time, no other details will be released as it is an active investigation.

---30---

HTH: Police probe voter fraud allegations

Asked what specifically police are investigating, Capt. Mitch Kanehailua, commander of the Criminal Investigation Division, said: “We don’t know yet. It’s just an allegation coming from the office. We’ve got a bunch of stuff we’ve got to go through.”

“You know, we’ve never done an investigation like this before,” he added.

Kanehailua said that police received the investigation at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday. “So we’re just starting the preliminary phase, filling out the reports and stuff like that.”…

Kanehailua said he hopes the investigation will be completed in “a month or so.”…

Kanehailua said the investigation has “nothing to do with the current elections.” …

Kawauchi said in July that she had uncovered evidence of double voting by four or five county residents in 2010. Approximately 53 voters also appeared to have been listed on voter registration rolls twice. Those duplicates have since been eliminated, she has said….

Kanehailua said that police were called to the County Clerk’s office on Monday to investigate a report of unauthorized computer access in the second-degree, but could not provide any specific details, including if the computer that was allegedly illegally accessed was an elections computer.

Kanehailua said the South Hilo Patrol Division is handling the preliminary computer investigation, but that the probe will eventually be forwarded to Criminal Investigations Section detectives, as the alleged offense is also a Class C felony.

---30--- 

BIVN: Dominic Yagong has often hinted that they have uncovered inconsistencies in past paperwork, specifically for the 2010 election

BINC: The alleged fraud did not occur in this Primary Election; the focus of the investigation is the 2010 General Election.

SA: Four people voted twice, and at least 50 were registered multiple times, the county clerk has said 

BIN: Police Open Investigation Into Possible 2010 Voter Fraud