HAWAIIAN SHORES – In preparation for Saturday’s Democratic Party Caucus and Presidential Preference Poll, volunteer caucus workers for District 4 (lower Puna) got some last minute training from the Chair of the Hawaii County Democrats, Phil Barnes.

The group gathered at the Hawaiian Shores Community Center for a run-through of what is expected to be a busy Saturday at precincts across Hawaii Island, as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders vie for the Democratic nomination for president.

This is part 1 of our coverage of Barnes’ talk to volunteers. We will soon be posting more info on the election of precinct officers and delegates to participate in the upcoming County, State and – possibly – National Convention.

MEDIA RELEASE

HAWAI’I DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE CAUCUS & PRECINCT MEETINGS ON HAWAI’I ISLAND – SAT., MARCH 26, 2016

Doors Open at Noon; Voting Begins at 1 p.m.

Registered voters – and those prepared to register that day – who also are members of, or prepared to become a member of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i, are urged to attend meetings in their respective Precincts across the state on Sat., March 26, 2016 to participate in the Statewide Presidential PreferencePoll (also called a caucus). Participants will be voting for their Democratic Party Presidential Preference.

Doors will open at noon and voting will begin at 1 p.m. To participate, a valid Hawai’i Driver’s License or State ID is recommended but not required. Also, ideally, attendees are already registered to vote in that precinct and are also members of the Hawai’i State Democratic Party.

Anyone not registered to vote, or who has moved or changed their name since the last election, must register or re-register, and this can be done quickly online in advance, by going to elections.hawaii.gov.

Anyone wanting to participate and not a Democratic Party member, or not sure about their party membership, may join online at hawaiidemocrats.org.

Individuals may also register to vote and become a Democratic Party member (two separate things) at the meeting. To do so, individuals will need their Social Security number and current street address. Ideally, individuals needing to fulfill one or both of these mandatory criteria will report to the meeting location by noon to provide time to complete required paperwork.

If unsure of your Precinct number, use this website to confirm which Precinct meeting to attend or call the County of Hawaii Elections Division (961-8277) during working hours and provide the physical address of your residence.

In addition to the Presidential Preference Caucus, the March 26 meetings also will serve to organize the leadership of individual Precincts. This includes electing Precinct officers to serve for the next two years. Attendees also elect delegates to participate in the Democratic Party County Convention (April 30, 2016) and State Convention (May 28-29, 2016), and this can lead to election to attend the National Convention (July 25-28, 2016) in Philadelphia.

For more about both the Presidential Preference Caucus and Precinct meetings and organization, go to HawaiiCountyDemocrats.org.

Hawai’i Island Precinct Locations:

District I (Hamakua – Kukuihaele to Wainaku)
Precincts 1 & 2: NHERC Conference Room 2
Precincts 3, 4 & 5: Laupahoehoe School Library
Precincts 6, 7, 8 & 9: Clem Akina Park Community Center – Wainaku

District 2 (Hilo)
Precincts 1,2,3,4,5: Keaukaha Elementary School Cafeteria

District 3 (Kea’au)
Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: Kea’au Community Center
Precincts 7: Pahala Community Center

District 4 (Pahoa)
Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4: Pahoa Intermediate/High School Cafeteria

District 5 (Pahala-South Kona)
Precincts 1: Pahala Community Center
Precincts 2, 3, 4: Ocean View Community Center
Precincts 5, 6, 7, 8: Konawaena High School Cafeteria

District 6
Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Old Airport Makaeo Pavilion

District 7 (North Kona, Waikoloa, Puako-Kawaihae, North Kohala & Waimea)
Precincts 1: Old Airport Makaeo Pavilion
Precinct 2: Waikoloa School Cafeteria
Precinct 3: Kohala High/Elementary School Cafeteria
Precincts 4 & 5: Waimea School Cafeteria

For more information, call Hawai’i County Democratic Party Chair Phil Barnes (808-494-8426) or email greenhi3@yahoo.com, or call District 7 Chair Patti Cook (808-937-2833) or email cookshi@aol.com. For a complete roster and contact information for current Hawai’i County Democratic Party officers by District, and party rules and platform, go to www.HawaiiCountyDemocrats.org.