NORTH HAWAII — To educate and encourage voters leading up to the Aug. 13 primary election, two nonpartisan candidate forums will be held in North Hawaii in early July.
Waimea Community Association will co-host the first forum on July 7 at Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Taylor Commons cafeteria. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the forum begins promptly at 5 p.m. All county and state candidates are confirmed to attend.
The event will be facilitated by Hawaii Public Radio’s Sherry Bracken, who will begin the program with candidates introducing themselves, sharing their reasons for seeking public office and their top three priorities for the North Hawaii district and island. Candidates will then break up into individual tables to meet with small groups of voters to discuss issues, answer questions and then rotate.
“Our community likes the ‘speed dating’ format before the primary election because they say it helps them get to know candidates on a more personal level. Participants say that this allows them to convey their priorities and concerns and also hear candidates’ views, what they know and how they think,” said Patti Cook, WCA president.
North Hawaii Rotary, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Waimea Middle School, Friends of the Future, Malaai School Garden, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization will co-host the event.
The following day, on July 8, the Waikoloa Candidates Forum will be held from 6-8 p.m. in the Waikoloa School Cafeteria. Noa Lincoln is the moderator for the evening. The program includes brief statements from candidates and a short Q&A.
After the forum, the candidates will be available to speak with residents.
The Waikoloa candidates forum is sponsored by the WCDP, WCDC, FL-WR, Waikoloa Senior Center and the Waikoloa Village Association.
For more information about the WCA forum, call Patti Cook at 937-2833, email cookshi@aol.com or go to www.WaimeaTown.org. Contact Lisa Yee at lisayee07@gmail.com for additional details on the Waikoloa forum.
The deadline to register to vote in the primary is July 14. Voter registration forms will be provided at the forums.