Commission asks DAG to draft formal reply after public raises OIP complaint over curtailed testimony

HONOLULU — The Elections Commission directed the Deputy Attorney General to draft a written response to an Office of Information Practices (OIP) complaint alleging that public testimony was improperly curtailed at an earlier meeting.

The complaint, filed in late 2025, said a testifier who sought to raise concerns about mail-in ballots and chain-of-custody was cut off and not given the opportunity to finish his remarks while later speakers were allowed to address similar topics. Multiple public commenters reiterated the complaint during the Feb. 4 meeting.

Commissioners debated whether Chair Curtis violated open-meeting rules when he stopped a speaker who appeared to be speaking off-agenda; the chair said he was enforcing agenda limits consistent with OIP guidance. A motion that the commission "admit" a violation failed on a roll call. Instead the commission voted unanimously to have the Deputy Attorney General prepare a formal letter responding to OIP that will describe the events, the commission's conclusions, and steps taken to reduce recurrence, including the recent adoption of Robert's Rules and added agenda practices.

Deputy AG Jordan Ching agreed to prepare a draft response for the commission. Commissioners and public speakers urged the draft to acknowledge the sequence of events honestly and to outline concrete measures — clearer minutes, tighter agenda practice, and training — to ensure members of the public receive a fair opportunity to speak.

The commission will file the DAG's response with OIP and include the draft in the public meeting record.