Representatives of 19 organizations and political parties make up the committee. The five political parties represented include: Democratic, Hawaii Green, Libertarian, Natural Law and Republican.
The 14 organizations represented on the committee are: Alu Like, Association of Clerks and Election Officers of Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Commission on Persons with Disabilities, Common Cause Hawaii, Data Processing Management Association, Hawaii Newspaper Agency, Hawaii Society of Certified Public Accountants, Hawaii State Bar Association, Information Systems Audit and Control Association, League of Women Voters, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Office of the Legislative Auditor and the Office of Ombudsman.
The Office of Elections asks the 19 organizations to each send a representative. The 19 members of the committee then elect a chairman.
The purpose of the committee is to provide public review and comment on matters relating to federal, state and county elections and to advise the chief elections officer.
They also serve as the core group of the more than 45 official observers whose job is to ensure that all proper procedures are observed at the counting center on election night.
The committee also must test the balloting system to ensure validity of the counting process. In addition, the committee has to ensure the security, integrity and sanctity of all election documents, including ballots, as they are transported to and from the counting center and when the documents are processed at the center. Committee members also observe other election activities.
"To the military for its prompt assistance to my son's accident on Sept. 20. He fell out of a tree. He was flown to Queen's Hospital on a medevac helicopter. Those guys are real champs. Thanks also to the emergency crew at Queen's. Thank god he's better today." - Angelina Molina
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