New voting machines
pass testing for primary
Nongovernmental observers
declare the ballot counters ready
Hundreds of electronic voting machines to be used in the Sept. 18 primary election on Oahu passed a third and final test run yesterday at the hands of nongovernmental observers.
About 45 members of the voting observers group filled out sample ballots and ran them through the Election Systems & Software M-100 machines, then checked to see that the machines accurately read what they had marked.
"These are the actual machines, programmed as they will be for election day," said Rex Quidilla, voter service coordinator for the state Office of Elections, pointing to rows of machines lined up in an un-air-conditioned warehouse near the airport.
A similar testing process had been performed earlier this month by the state's voting machine contractor, Election Systems & Software, and then by the state Election Commission, so no major glitches were expected or encountered yesterday, Quidilla said. Observer groups concluded final tests of machines on neighbor islands last week, he said.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties, some precinct workers, and interested groups such as Common Cause, the Hawaii Bar Association, and the media have members on the observer's group, said chairman Elwin Spray. Other observers are active or retired specialists in relevant fields, such as computers or electronics.
The common motive is to ensure smooth, accurate and fair elections, Spray said.
"The machines I tested did what they were supposed to do," said Gladys Hayes, a member of the Oahu League of Republican Women. Hayes has been a candidate for the U.S. House, state Senate and Honolulu City Council, as well as a precinct poll worker.
A new high-tech tool for voting will not be ready until the actual primary day, Quidilla said.
Electronic tablets at each polling place are expected to allow easier voting for voters with disabilities including vision, hearing and manual dexterity.
The electronic tablets will be tested separately before the election, he said.
Starting Friday, voters who want to cast their ballots before the Sept. 18th primary will be able to go to four locations on Oahu and other neighbor island locations for walk-in absentee voting. An estimated 25,000 voters statewide are expected to take advantage of early absentee voting, Quidilla said.
The state Office of Elections plans to release a count of Hawaii registered voters tomorrow. In 2002, there were about 676,000 voters registered statewide, but there have been purges since then of outdated records, as well as additions, said Glen Takahashi, Honolulu election administrator.
The state has been urging Hawaii residents to register and to vote through a series of newspaper and radio advertisements this summer, plus informational mailings to every registered household, Quidilla said.
"We want people to be able to enter the polling place, confident that they are familiar with the system," Quidilla said.
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