Missing voting consoles recovered
The number of votes cast on them will not affect results, an election official says
Two control consoles for electronic voting machines left behind at polling sites were found, state election officials said.
The consoles were located yesterday morning at their designated precinct sites -- Pacific Islands Bible Church in Mililani and Moanalua High School -- said Rex Quidilla, state Office of Elections spokesman.
The votes cast on the machines will not affect election results. "The votes are too small to make any substantial changes," Quidilla said.
Officials also had to count a small batch of duplicate paper ballots that were either crumpled or mangled through the scanning machine and had to be re-marked.
The final printout of election results was released at 5:42 p.m. yesterday, nearly five hours after original projections.
Overall, Quidilla said the 2006 general election went well despite minor glitches that occurred at some precincts.
Six polling sites had staffing problems after workers or chairmen failed to show up or arrived late.
Affected polling sites were Kalihi Valley District Park, Halawa District Park, Mililani Mauka Elementary School, Pearl Ridge Elementary School and Hahaione School in Hawaii Kai, which had two polling places.
Quidilla said they were able to remedy the staffing problem quickly. "Staffing was not an issue," he said. These are similar glitches that occur in every election and are not isolated to Hawaii, Quidilla added.
Two other polling sites -- Makakilo Elementary School and Kahi Mohala hospital -- also ran out of paper ballots later in the day. A small number of voters at the sites resorted to using the electronic Hart eSlate direct-voting machines.
A total of 353 polling sites were set up statewide with more than 3,000 volunteers who assisted during the general election.
Officials plan to conduct a review of the general election and address any issues where improvements can be made. "We need to examine things," Quidilla said.
At least two voters who mailed in absentee ballots had them returned to them in the mail. Both said that the envelope used to mail in their ballots should be redesigned because it creates confusion.
The back of the envelope contains the voter's address and a signature box. It also contains a note to the postal clerk to deliver the envelope to the address on the front of the envelope, which contains the address to the City Clerk's Office.
City Clerk Denise De Costa said they have not received complaints about mail-in absentee ballots. If it had occurred more frequently, "we would have heard of it," she said.
About 70,000 absentee ballots were mailed, she said.