Latest dispatch from Nathan Eagle, who’s been sitting in on the special session at the Elections Commission. 

From our Capitol Watch blog:

After two hours of grilling the elections chief and hearing the public’s concerns over the state running out of ballots at 51 precincts during the Nov. 6 general, the Hawaii Elections Commission went behind closed doors to decide how to address the problem.

An apology and an excuse may not be enough to for Scott Nago to keep his job as head of the state Elections Office. 

Nago said his office used the wrong formula — bumping up the number of ballots 25 percent over the amount in the primary — to to determine how many ballots went out to the polling sites earlier this month, but plans to scrap that formula and consider making other changes to ensure it never happens again.

The commissioners hammered Nago over the use of the formula: Why not just print enough ballots for every registered voter in the state?

Nago didn’t have a concrete plan to assuage the concerns voiced by the commission, members of the public, a state senator and others. 

The frustration was palpable in the packed meeting room, as one commissioner noted.

Check out Civil Beat later for a full story.