DENNIS ODA DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Johnston kids, Allison, 2, and Arthur, 5, shared the voting booth at St. Pius X Church Hall in Manoa with their father, Keith Johnston, yesterday.
Unlike four years ago, when optical scanning machines were first used in the state's general election, few problems were reported at the polls yesterday. Few problems reported
at polls this yearBy Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.comFour machines had to be replaced, wrong ballots were delivered to a polling place in Waianae and there was some confusion over where some people were supposed to vote.
Democrats also filed a formal complaint against the Republican Party and the Linda Lingle campaign over the use of official precinct watchers in the GOP's get-out-the-vote effort on election day.
But overall, Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina said voting went "much better" than four years ago, when problems with voting machines forced a recount in the general election.
Voter turnout was significantly higher yesterday than in the primary election, when only 41 percent of registered voters turned out at the polls. Turnout yesterday was 57 percent: 385,462 out of 676,242 of registered voters, according to the final results. However, that was still less than the turnout in 1998, 68 percent.
A spokesman for Elections System and Software, which supplies the voting machines for the state, said that most problems were resolved within 10 to 15 minutes after they were reported.
The longest delay was reported in Mililani, where it took about 40 minutes to replace a broken machine. Voters were still able to vote, and their ballots were placed in what's called an "emergency box" until a new machine could be put into service.
Voting machines were replaced at Mililani District Park, Kailua Field, Mililani Mauka and Wahiawa Middle School, election officials said.
Jim Boersema, a spokesman for ES&S, said a few problems were to be expected in any election. The important thing, he said, is that they were resolved and everyone was able to vote.
For example, when Waianae precinct officials learned that some ballots had a neighbor island race on them, voters were allowed to vote again with the correct ballot, Yoshina said.
However, Yoshina noted that many people worked yesterday and, traditionally, there is a large turnout in the afternoon in the general election. Elections officials also reported a large absentee voter turnout of about 100,000 people statewide.
The first voting results printout was delayed by late poll closings in Maui County. About half of those polling places remained open after 6 p.m., including Wailuku Community Center, where the last voter cast a ballot at 6:25 p.m.
Among the latest polling places to close -- sometime before 7 p.m. -- were Kaunakakai Elementary School on Molokai and a site in Kihei, Maui.
Louise Aloy said she had to drive about 20 miles from Kaanapali to Wailuku to cast her ballot, and the voting took longer because of the large number of proposed County Charter amendments. There were 17 proposals on the ballot.
"Although we had time to study it, we still needed time to review it," Aloy said.
In Manoa, where there was some confusion over redistricting and changes in polling places during the primary, precinct officials said things went fairly smoothly yesterday. They said most people knew where to vote, unless they did not vote in the primary.
Portia Jim-On said her election precinct card instructed her to go to the Manoa District Park pavilion for the primary, but she was redirected to Manoa Gym, along with several other voters. She feels many older people did not vote in the primary because they could not make the walk between polling places. Voting at Manoa Gym this time, though, "It's been good," she said.
Still, Dave Cruz and Thearon Thurber, voting at the gym, noted that their cards gave the wrong address for the gym -- 2721 Kaaipu Ave., which is for Manoa Valley District Park -- just as they did for the primary election.
There were also complaints about clogged traffic along Kamehameha Highway on the North Shore because of the filming of the movie "The Big Bounce" at Waimea Bay.
A volunteer at a get-out-the-vote phone bank for Linda Lingle said it took her a half-hour to travel less than six blocks. She said she was afraid people all along the North Shore would not be able to get to the polls.
However, Ray Green, manager of Waimea Falls Park, said traffic might have delayed some people, "but I don't think it would have made them not vote. Traffic has been flowing smoothly since 1 p.m."
Reporters Helen Altonn, Gary T. Kubota
and Pat Gee contributed to this story.
