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Political

Molokai and Hawaii – Island Politics

Voting in the General Election

Wednesday, October 7th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Election Day is fast approaching on Nov. 3 but with Hawaii’s fully mail-in ballot system in place this year, the deadline to cast your ballot is coming even sooner. Maui County ballot packages will be mailed to Molokai residents on Thursday, Oct. 8, according to County Clerk Kathy Kaohu.

In this general election, Molokai voters will be helping to decide the new U.S. president and vice president, along with a number of local political representatives and proposed amendments to the Maui County charter. Unlike in the primary election, voters can cast their ballot for any candidate, regardless of political party.…

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DeCoite Bests Ritte in Vote Recount

Wednesday, August 19th, 2020

DeCoite Bests Ritte in Vote Recount

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Last week, we reported that results for the District 13 Representative seat in the Primary Election were pending a recount. Incumbent Lynn DeCoite and challenger Walter Ritte came within 91 votes of each other, triggering an automatic recount process under the laws governing the new mail-in ballot system in Hawaii, according to Maui County Clerk Kathy Kaohu, who oversees ballots cast in Maui County.

On Monday, Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. the recount began, and final results were announced Tuesday morning, with DeCoite winning by 93 votes over Ritte. DeCoite will move on to the General Election, when she will face the Republican and Aloha Aina party candidates.…

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DeCoite Narrowly Beats Ritte, Pending Recount

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

If you ever thought your vote didn’t count, Saturday’s primary election showed differently. Just 91 votes between Molokai’s incumbent District 13 Representative Lynn DeCoite and fellow Molokai resident and challenger Walter Ritte, as of press deadline Sunday. A mandatory recount was conducted Monday evening.

“In the past, candidates would have to file with the court to request a recount if they’re close,” said Maui County Clerk Kathy Kaohu. But she explained part of new mail-in voting laws call for an automatic recount of results that come within 100 votes or one quarter or one percent of the total number of votes cast, whichever is greater.…

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Vote, Vote, Vote

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Congratulations to all of you. Good luck to all of you. That’s aloha. Whatever happens, water under the bridge. We move forward and support each other for the good, better of our District 13.
Always remember Molokai is our home, families, community, generations. Action, action, action. Lynn DeCoite always lead by example to take care her District 13 community, she serves with honor, respect and honesty for six years, another six more years of honesty, care. It’s your generations. Also Lynn DeCoite has many others valuable talents and gifts. She has lots of love, care, respect for the land, survival of our life.…

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Don’t Forget to Vote

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Are you registered to vote? If you answered yes, you should have already received your ballot in the mail and don’t forget to mail it back! If you answered no… you still can!

While July 9 was widely published as the deadline to register for voting in the Primary Election, you can visit Molokai’s Voting Service Center at Mitchell Pauole Center Conference Room to register and vote on the spot, until Election Day on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.

While Hawaii has switched to an all-mail voting system this year, you can still vote in-person if you’d prefer.…

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Molokai Votes

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020

By Kathy Kaohu, Maui County Clerk

Aloha Molokai! Vote 2020 is upon us, and while this election season is being rocked by pandemics, hurricanes and the new system of Mail in Voting, Hawaii’s people have the resiliency to overcome any barriers this may have to casting our votes and participating in this ground-breaking election year.

This week’s message is about where we’ve been, and the potential of where we can go. Below are some Molokai specific voting statistics to better understand where we’ve been.

Let’s start by looking at the 2018 Primary numbers in comparison to 2020, beginning with registered Molokai voters by District/Precinct:

District/Precinct Registered
Voters as of 2018 Primary Election Total Active Registered Voters as of 07/17/20* Total Registered Voters as of 07/17/20*
Kilohana 13/05: 647 587 691
Kaunakakai 13/06: 1,992 1,930 2,124
Maunaloa 13/07: 379 376 423
Kualapu 13/08: 1,243 1,176 1,283
Kalaupapa 13/09: 32 28 36
Totals: 4,293 4,097 4,557

*In Hawaii, registered voters who do not participate in voting over two election cycles will not be counted as active voters.…

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Molokai Votes by Mail

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Registered voters on Molokai have now received their ballots in their mailboxes, launching a new statewide system of mail-in-only voting. Previously, only one community in the state — on Molokai — had voted solely by mail.

“The year 2000 was the first election year any community went with Elections by mail, Kalaupapa was that first community to go to an all mail election system in the State of Hawaii, and resulted in showing the State that it is a doable system, and showed stats with high percentage rates of “voter turnout,” said Kathy Kaohu, County Clerk for Maui County, whose office is overseeing Elections.…

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Hawaii Votes by Mail

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020

Community Contributed

By Kathy Kaohu, Maui County Clerk

Aloha Molokai! Beginning with the 2020 Elections, all registered voters statewide will automatically receive their ballot packet at the mailing address associated with their voter registration. Molokai voters are encouraged to participate in this important process.

Kalaupapa was the first community to go to an “all mail” voting system many years ago, have a high ballot return rate per capita and were trail-blazers in voting by mail. Let’s follow their lead!

Ballot packet delivery will be conducted via Hawaii’s election partner, the United States Postal Service and can be expected to arrive in mailboxes as early as July 15.…

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Changes to Local, State and National Policies

Monday, April 6th, 2020

Last week, Molokai experienced its first two coronavirus cases, while as of Sunday, there were 369 positive cases in Hawaii, out of 13,536 tests conducted in the state so far. The state also reported the fourth death linked to the virus.

Following the news of the first positive test result on Molokai last Thursday, grocery stores across the island immediately closed, remaining shuttered for sanitation on Friday. With continued closures for Friendly Market, Misaki’s and Kualapu’u Market opened on Saturday, under a new model: curbside pickup for preordered items only.

“We’ve had long discussions about the safety of our staff, our customers and the island in general and are going to implement curbside pickup only,” posted Kualapu’u Market on its Facebook page.…

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Ho’olehua Veterans Center Stirs Controversy

Friday, November 30th, 2018

Ho’olehua Veterans Center Stirs Controversy

A proposed, controversial $4 million veterans center in Ho’olehua is moving forward, amid high emotions among veterans and confusion about the project’s origins. The proposed 7,000 square foot building to be located behind Lanikeha Community Center will house Veterans Affairs services, as well as a meeting room, classroom and office spaces, a kitchen and covered outdoor gathering area and serve as a joint facility with the Dept. of Hawaiian Homelands.

Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans (MVCV) board members say they sought $400,000 in funding a few years ago to complete the Kaunakakai Center parking lot and other remaining projects. The 3,000-square-foot structure on Wharf Road was finally completed in 2015 after a long struggle through permitting hoops and funding woes.…

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