Republicans-only label on general election ballot raises concerns
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are being printed now, but some are sounding the alarm on the special wording that was added for one district.
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The “do-over” Republican primary for House District 43 between incumbent Kanani Souza and challenger Sheila Medeiros is being held in the general election because there is no democratic challenger. The women tied with 842 votes apiece.
The state Supreme Court also ordered the ballot for that race to be labeled “Republican Party voters only.”
HNN political analyst Colin Moore said that could be very confusing for voters in that district that includes Kapolei and Makakilo.
“We don’t declare party in general elections, but here on the ballot it says for Republican voters only, and there’s no way to enforce that. So I fear that voters are going to think they were sent the wrong ballot or there was some mistake made at the elections office.”
Souza files motion with Supreme Court
Souza filed a motion with the Hawaii Supreme Court to reconsider the addition of that line saying it “creates ambiguity concerning who is eligible to participate in the State Representative District 43 race and is misleading and unclear.”
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“We need to make sure voters are not confused because it goes to voter choice and the will of the voters. If they’re confused and they don’t know how to vote on the ballot, then it becomes very problematic,” Souza said all voters in District 43 can vote in the race if they choose to.
Moore pointed out that the court had a difficult job when they invalidated a tie-breaker and ordered the rematch.
Medeiros responds in statement
Challenger Sheila Medeiros declined an interview with Hawaii News Now but said in a statement that she also thinks the ballot requirement will confuse voters. She said she is confident that her team is going to finish strong “under a flawed remedy that lets voters of every party choose a specific party’s nominee.”
“When elected in November, my first initiative will be to fix this mess and make it pono for all parties. This precedent cannot stand,” her statement said.
Supreme Court timeline
No word on whether the Supreme Court will take up Souza’s new request.
Meanwhile, the ballots will continue printing, and voters should receive them by mid-October.
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