Yesterday across Oahu hundreds of Republicans participated in the virtual Honolulu County Republican Party Convention with twenty-four participating in person at the production site. Our members watched the proceedings from the comfort of their living rooms and voted via “electionrunner” on their favorite personal electronic device.
To Convention Committee Chair Mele Songsong, Convention Chair Kathryn Henski, Elections co-Chairs Mark White and Steve Lipscomb, Convention Secretary Peggy Regentine, Convention Committee members Austin Maglinty, Anna Odom, Anna Hudson, Jamie Padilla, and Dennis Egge, who worked so hard to bring this together…MAHALO!
To Oahu County Precinct Presidents and District Chairs, mahalo for all your efforts getting your delegates signed-up.
BIG MAHALO to all Oahu delegates for participating and being patient, without your participation and support none of this would have been possible!!
Finally, Special thanks to Tessie & Gerald Ryusaki of Hawaii Truck Parts, Sales and Services for their generosity in allowing us to produce our convention at their beautiful facilities in Kapolei, which is also home to Ho’omalu Native Hawaiian Organization, spearheaded by our convention committee chair, Mele Songsong.
Congratulations to our newly elected and reelected County Committee Leaders.
Chairman Brett Kulbis
Vice Chairman Austin Maglinti
Secretary Anna Odom
Vice Chair East Honolulu Kyle Kaiser
Vice Chair West Honolulu Charlotte Rosecrans
Vice Chair Central Oahu Anna Hudson
Vice Chair Leeward Oahu Kevin Rathbun
Vice Chair Windward Oahu Eli Blanchard
In preparation for yesterday’s convention, on March 6th, your County Committee voted to suspend County Rule 301, which specifically limits the County Chairman to serving just two terms (4 years). The motion to suspend was properly made in favor of Chairman Brett Kulbis to serve another term. The motion was seconded, discussed and unanimously approved by 22 duly elected or appointed Vice Chairs, District Chairs, Auxiliary Presidents, or their designated representatives.
Unfortunately, an objection to this action was submitted by the State Chair, which he further appealed to the State Executive Committee for intervention, on the grounds that the County Committee did not have authority to suspend a county rule.
This past Wednesday on March 24th, The State Executive Committee intervened and voted to uphold the objection, thereby directing the County Committee to bring the action before the convention today for ratification by its delegates.
Therefore, delegates had to vote on a ballot question to approve the actions of the County County Committee. Here is the results:
Historical
Voting HELP: If after several attempts you are still having problems voting, you may text the word ‘HELP’ and your name to 753-5323 or 227-2459 and we’ll try to have someone call you back. Sorry, we cannot accept calls.
In preparation for tomorrow’s convention, on March 6th, your County Committee voted to suspend County Rule 301, which specifically limits the County Chairman to serving just two terms (4 years). The motion to suspend was properly made in favor of Chairman Brett Kulbis to serve another term. The motion was seconded, discussed and unanimously approved by 22 duly elected or appointed Vice Chairs, District Chairs, Auxiliary Presidents, or their designated representatives.
Unfortunately, an objection to this action was submitted by the State Chair, which he further appealed to the State Executive Committee for intervention, on the grounds that the County Committee did not have authority to suspend a county rule.
This past Wednesday on March 24th, The State Executive Committee intervened and voted to uphold the objection, thereby directing the County Committee to bring the action before the convention today for ratification by its delegates.
Therefore, the question on the ballot will be as follows:
SAMPLE BALLOT
Attending the Virtual Convention: This year’s convention will be live-streamed on YouTube. Starting on March 25th, paid delegates will begin receiving emails with the YouTube link to view the convention. Once you receive the link, it will take you directly to the live-stream, which will start promptly at 1:00pm this Saturday, March 27th. Please do not share the YouTube link with non-delegates.
Voting Instructions (also posted on our county website www.oahugop.com): To vote at the convention, paid delegates will be receiving an Invitation to Vote in the Election via email as shown below. You may use any device to vote, as long as you can access the email account you used to register as a delegate.
As noted in the sample above, if you have email or voting problems, please contact your District Chairman before contacting our Elections Co-Chairmen, Mark White (753-5323) or Steve Lipscomb (227-2459).
If you haven’t yet paid your registration fee, please click here: Pay Your Fee. If paying by check or money order, please drop your payment off before closing on March 25th, at HRP headquarters, 725 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite C105 Honolulu, HI 96813. Be sure to make your check or money order payable to Hawaii Republican Party and write 2021 HNL CONVENTION on the memo line.
Here is a link to the list of paid delegates, which will be updated daily after 5pm: List of Paid Delegates. If you have already paid, but don’t see your name on the paid list, please email Mele Songsong as soon as possible by clicking here: melesongsong@msn.com.
For District Chairs and Precinct Presidents – If any of your delegates or alternates are unable to participate, please advise soonest. This is important for when our Election Committee begins creating the voter lists for the online voting.
Listing of Paid Delegates
2021 Convention Agenda (Approved)
2021 Convention Rules (Approved)
2019 Convention Minutes (Approved)
How To Guide – Electionrunner
Chairman Brett Kulbis of the Honolulu County Republican Party has called for all Oahu Republicans to convene in convention on Saturday, March 27, 2021 beginning at 1:00PM. However, due to continued COVID restrictions, this year’s convention will be conducted virtually.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 1:00PM – Delegate Appointment (2021 Delegate Online Sign Up – https://forms.gle/NgSh6j9ovTxk8Ast5)
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 5:00PM – Nominations for County Offices. Due to the current meeting restrictions our convention will be a hybrid, with live feed streaming on Zoom and/or YouTube. Therefore any member interested in running for county leadership will need to report their nomination via email to the County Convention Committee Chair (Mele Songsong) by 5:00 PM on Friday March 19th. All leadership positions are up for election and include: County Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair East Honolulu, Vice Chair West Honolulu, Vice Chair Central Oahu, Vice Chair Leeward and Vice Chair Windward.
NOTE: Failure to submit payment by the deadline may result in disqualification. (See HRP Rule 208 regarding registration fees).
Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 5:00PM – Payment of $15 convention fee.
Online payment at: Raise the Money, or
If paying by check or money order: Mail or drop off payment at HRP Headquarters, 725 Kapiolani Blvd., #C-105, Honolulu, HI 96813. Please make checks payable to the Hawaii Republican Party and write 2021 HNL CONVENTION on the memo line.