RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Absentee voters filled out their ballot applications yesterday at Honolulu Hale.
Record absentee A record number of voters are expected to cast absentee ballots by the end of absentee walk-in voting at 4 p.m. today.
votes expected today
By Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.com
But officials say absentee voting is not a good indication of overall turnout on primary election day Saturday.
The number of people who voted through absentee walk-in and through mail-in ballots has increased every year since 1992, said Office of Elections spokesman Rex Quidilla. But turnout has still been low.
"The convenience of either early vote and absentee mail is more attractive for Hawaii's voters," Quidilla said. "The campaigns are encouraging voters to vote via absentee mail. There's a recognition that there are a lot of people with busy lifestyles who want to vote in the convenience of their homes."
At the walk-in absentee polling place at Honolulu Hale yesterday, voters gave a number of reasons for voting early. Some work on Saturdays and do not want to wake up early, some are going to be out of town and some just thought it would be easier.
"We know who we're going to vote for anyway, so might as well do it early," said Bradi Barrett.
Genny Wong, the county clerk for Honolulu, said more than 2,200 voters cast ballots yesterday at the four absentee polling places on Oahu, and she expects a greater number to vote today.
By 4 p.m. yesterday a total of 13,300 people cast walk-in absentee ballots. The record set in the 2000 primary is about 14,000 absentee walk-in votes, Wong said.
Wong said there was a slight drop-off in the number of walk-in absentee voters on Sept. 11, but it picked up again this week.
The Big Island and Maui will also set new absentee voting records this year, county clerks report. Kauai County Clerk Peter Nakamura predicted Kauai's absentee voting would be higher than in 2000.
Statewide, voters cast 49,192 absentee ballots in 2000 and 46,982 absentee ballots in 1998, representing about 8 percent of the total turnout in both elections.
Quidilla said more than 32,000 people have requested absentee mail-in ballots for this election, up from more than 27,000 in 2000. Traditionally, about 80 percent of mail-in ballots are returned. The mail-in ballots must be received by the time polls close on Saturday.
Wong said her office has received a few calls from Oahu voters who were afraid to fold the ballots so they can be mailed back in the envelope provided. After the voting stub is torn off, the ballots do not fit the same fold and must be refolded to be mailed back in. Wong said refolding ballots will not cause any problems.
She said for the first time this year, her office used a machine to fold and send out the ballots, which saved a lot of money.
Quidilla said folding the ballot so it will fit in the return envelope is something they will have to look at for future elections. However he said, "We believe that's a surmountable issue."
