Steve Tataii is the only Qualified & Official 2002 Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congressional District 2 Hawai'i, and his name must be printed on the Nov. 5 general election ballot or our entire 2002 election is a fraud, regardless of who says what, trying to impose their demands on us. We do not need any special elections for this seat, which would also waste $4 MILLION of our money.
No one else is qualified by law, no one having filed their nomination papers on or before the July 23 deadline. Below, I present to your readers a petition/declaration, signed by many of our voters, and being signed as you read this article, since Oct. 2 in many parts of U.S. Congressional District 2 Hawai'i.
I encourage all Registered Student voters to prepare an exact draft, getting signatures and mailing the document to: Steve Tataii, P.O. BOX 11042, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96828. Also read Tataii's Web page at: www.tataiiforcongress.com for more background information.
Please also call Hawai'i Democratic Party's Chairwoman Lorraine Akiba at: 596-2980 or 529-7300; the Attorney General at: 586-1292; and Dwayne Yoshina, chief election officer at: 453-8683. DEMAND that they print Steve Tataii's name on the Nov. 5 general election ballots because he is the Unopposed Democratic Candidate by Default, and because it is the right thing to do.
Please call the Candidate at 845-5716 and wish him the best of luck as a show of support.
On behalf of my voting Citizens' group, I add that the Hawai'i Democratic party leaders that are responsible should be ashamed of themselves for acting like little children, trying to Rob what their fellow Democrat, Steve Tataii, has Officially gained. Tataii, being an honest, dedicated and hard working Candidate, has never given up running for office since 1988 because he is a true fighter for Justice and equality for all, including those Democrats who're jealous of his accomplishments and this high office he is well qualified for. Is this their demonstration of the party's being "INCLUSIVE" and "FAIR"? We Demand to see Steve Tataii's name printed on the general election ballots.
Here's the Petition: HAWAII CITIZENS' PETITION/DECLARATION FOR POLITICAL EQUALITY AND JUSTICE
We, the undersigned registered voters of U.S. Congressional District 2 Hawai'i and other concerned constituents demand that Mr. Steve Tataii be declared the automatic unopposed Democratic candidate for said district seat, as he rightfully should have been.
According to HRS 11-117(b) of the Hawai'i election law, it is the duty of the chief election officer to disqualify any candidate who is unable to voluntarily withdraw due to incapacity by prominently posting disqualification notices at all appropriate polling places.
It must have seemed obviously clear to almost everyone that such was the situation in Mrs. Patsy Mink's case since she remained in serious condition from illness without any sign of improvement since Aug. 30, 2002, as later confirmed by many medical experts in their opinion reports heard and seen on all the news media.
This meant that there was as long as 23 days left before the primary election, during which the public was kept in the dark about very crucial information regarding Mrs. Mink's medical condition. The people's right to know was violated and it is a vital requirement in any Democratic election to enable voters to make an informed decision on which candidate to vote for, as allowed by our constitution and election laws that are supposed to be followed by all states uniformly within the United States of America.
Mr. Steve Tataii must be recognized as the only True Democratic candidate in the race for U.S. Congressional District 2 Hawai'i, having filed his nomination papers before the July 23, 2002 deadline, and his name be printed on the general-election ballots for all appropriate U.S. Congressional District 2 polling places.
In consistency with Mrs. Mink's legacy, we believe that this would have really been her only wish for the proper Democratic Congressional Candidate and, morally and justly, the right thing to be done.
Under the penalty of law, we declare that foregoing statements are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Howard Saiki is a resident of Honolulu, Hawai'i.
