House GOP criticizes
elections office bill
House Republicans say a bill approved by the state Legislature this week makes it harder for the state to fire its chief election officer, a post held by Dwayne Yoshina.
House Bill 401, SD1, approved Tuesday, amends state law to say the chief election officer may be removed by the Elections Appointment and Review Panel only for "good" cause, instead of "any" cause, as it is currently written.
During debate on the House floor, Republicans said the measure was a special-interest bill designed to make it harder for the panel to terminate Yoshina. He has served as an election official since 1981 and became chief election officer in 1996, when he assumed the responsibilities from the lieutenant governor.
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"This is a bill that will protect the current holder of the office. ... Right now the person serves at the discretion of a bipartisan commission made up of members of both parties," said Galen Fox (R, Waikiki), minority leader.
"I have to ask why we would want to take this job away from the commission."
Rep. Barbara Marumoto (R, Waialae Iki) said it would guarantee the person who holds the post "a job for life."
She added the panel's main purpose is to review the work of the election officer and that this proposed law takes away some of its authority.
Ray Pua, panel chairman, said he supports the changes to the bill, "so we have to substantiate what is good cause," he said.
Pua said Yoshina's appointment expired in January, but he will continue to serve in that position indefinitely until there is a successor or he is reappointed.
The five-member panel voted 3-2 in February to open the job for other people to apply. Members also decided they must adopt rules before they can evaluate Yoshina's performance.
That job performance review was supposed to be turned in before the start of the legislative session, but the committee was not able to agree on job performance criteria.
Currently, Pua said, the panel is planning to send surveys to people who have worked with or testified before the panel on the chief election officer. Those responses will help create the performance standards used to evaluate and advertise for the job, he said.
Meanwhile, House Bill 401, SD1, also moves administrative oversight of the election panel, the Office of Elections, and the Campaign Spending Commission to the state Department of Accounting & General Services from the Lieutenant Governor's Office.
Lawmakers said the move was necessary to comply with state constitutional requirements that all executive and administrative offices be assigned among the principal departments.
Only special-purpose temporary offices can be administratively attached to the Lieutenant Governor's Office, they said.
The measure is before Gov. Linda Lingle for consideration.
