Recounts show
slight differences
At least six close races
By Craig Gima
will be recounted by hand
starting tomorrow
Star-BulletinThe state Office of Elections expects to finish a machine recount of the 412,520 ballots cast in the 1998 general election sometime tonight. But results of the recount may not be released to the public until they have been compiled into a statewide summary and compared with the results of the general election in November.
Kauai, Maui and the Big Island recount results were expected to be compiled by today.
The results of the Honolulu recount may be completed tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, manual audit teams are expected to begin hand counting selected races -- a process that will take up to a week.
At least six races where the difference between the winner and the loser was 1 percent or less will be recounted by hand.
The margin of victory in the governor's race was 1.3 percent, and that race is not expected to be recounted.
The audit teams will also recount by hand any race where the difference between the November result and the machine recount changes by 1 percent or more.
Chief election officer Dwayne Yoshina said so far, the recount is going as he expected.
Yoshina said the absentee ballots that were recounted over the weekend showed only slight differences of not more than 10 votes in any single race.
As a test on Friday, election officials recounted a precinct with 1,142 ballots and found differences of one to eight votes, said David Harris, an electrical engineer and a Republican Party observer.
Harris said a visual check of the ballots showed some people had marked them in blue pen, or used X's or check marks instead of completely filling in the oval where votes are supposed to be marked. He said those types of "marginal marks" accounted for most of the differences in the recount.
State auditor Marion Higa, a member of a committee overseeing the recount, said she has been impressed with the effort so far.
"I think there is a great deal of integrity with the recount process," Higa said.
The committee is supposed to complete a report to the Legislature by the end of the month. Higa said the report is likely to contain recommendations on ways to improve the process for future elections.
"I'm sure we're going to have a better process as a result of this," Higa said.
The Legislature last month ordered a review or recount of the entire election after about 300 ballots were miscounted because of problems with counting machines in seven precincts.
The estimated $250,000 cost of the recount is being paid for by Election Systems & Software, the company that provided the machines to the state.
"When you spill some milk, I guess you're expected to clean it up," said company vice president Todd Urosevich. "It's a pretty expensive glass of milk, I'll tell you that."
