Committee for Safe and Secure Elections Hosts Security Trainings for Hawaii Election Officials and Law Enforcement

Four election preparedness workshops across Hawaii addressed election day security, de-escalation strategies and threats against election workers and voters.

Media Contact: Jake Gómez

Phone: (661) 803-4391 Email: press@clyde.us

LIHUE, Hawaii (March 7, 2024) – The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE) today finished the last of four election preparedness workshops in Hawaii focused on ensuring safe elections in 2024 and addressing threats to voters, local officials and poll workers. Election officials, law enforcement officers, emergency management officials and others attended the trainings this week, which included a statewide workshop in Honolulu on Monday, followed each day by county-level events in Hawaii, Maui and Kauai, respectively.  

The workshops featured remarks from State of Hawaii Office of Elections representatives and presentations from CSSE experts on addressing harassment and election threats, coordinating successful collaboration between election officials and law enforcement agencies, and understanding political violence and de-escalation strategies. Attendees also participated in tabletop election threat exercises and security simulations designed to prepare them for potential real-world scenarios. 

“Given the spike in violence and harassment toward poll workers and local officials across the country, it is essential for election workers here in Hawaii to have the tools and resources to prepare and protect themselves against threats,” said Neal Kelley, Chairman of CSSE and former Registrar of Voters in Orange County, Calif. “This week’s workshops represent an important step toward safeguarding Hawaii’s elections in 2024, and CSSE would like to thank our partners at the Office of Elections and in the state’s law enforcement community for their commitment to this important work.”

In addition to Mr. Kelley, the national election experts from CSSE who helped guide the trainings included Tina Barton, Senior Election Expert at The Elections Group and former City Clerk for Rochester Hills, Mich.; Sheriff Justin Smith, former Sheriff of Larimer County, Colo.; and Chris Harvey, Deputy Executive Director of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. 

“In each election, it is important that election officials and partners in law enforcement work together to provide secure, accessible and convenient services for all voters. We appreciate the service, awareness and connections the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections makes to support our efforts in conducting the election” said Scott Nago, State of Hawaii Chief Election Officer.

The State of Hawaii Office of Elections hosted an Election Preparedness Symposium earlier in the year, bringing together election officials, government partners and law enforcement to build relationships and develop communications ahead of Hawaii 2024 Elections. This week’s workshops built off of learnings from the symposium, and are a part of CSSE’s nationwide campaign to train election officials, poll workers and law enforcement officers to respond to violence and intimidation around elections. 

About The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections: The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections features cross-partisan experts in election administration and law enforcement who aim to support policies and practices that protect election workers and voters from violence, threats and intimidation. The Committee also works to build relationships and trust between election officials and law enforcement to better equip both to prevent and respond to threats and violence against voters and election workers. For more information about The Committee’s resources and policy principles, please visit safeelections.org. 

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