CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Absentee voters lined up at city hall yesterday. It was the last day of absentee walk-in voting.

Absentee voters
keep pouring in

A steady stream of voters cast ballots yesterday on the last day of absentee walk-in voting before tomorrow's primary election -- part of what is shaping up to be another record absentee voter turnout.

Voter information Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Registered voters should have received a yellow card with information on their polling place. A picture ID with a signature on it is required at the polls. For information or to report problems, call 453-VOTE (8683) on Oahu or county clerks on the neighbor islands: Big Island 961-8277; Maui 270-7749; Kauai 241-6350. PRIMARY ELECTION GUIDE 2004

Whether it's because they're out of town on election day, watching the University of Hawaii football game, or just because it's more convenient, the number of people who vote early has been increasing every election cycle since 1992, said Rex Quidilla, a spokesman for the state Office of Elections.

At Honolulu Hale yesterday, Michael Okino, 33, said he has been voting absentee since his first election. "It's just easier," he said.

Patti Franklin said she decided to vote yesterday because she's busy on Saturday and she thought the lines would be shorter than on election day.

"I'm thinking of doing this (voting absentee) again," she said.

A check of county clerks shows absentee voting is setting a record on Oahu, where there is a contested mayor's race. Neighbor islands are reporting slightly lower walk-in absentee voting, but an increase in mail-in applications.

On Oahu, about 47,000 people have requested mail-in absentee ballots and as of noon yesterday 14,988 chose walk-in absentee voting.

"This (47,000 mail-in applications) is a fairly substantial increase," said Quidilla. About 32,000 absentee ballots were requested statewide in 2002 and 27,000 mail-in ballots in 2000, the last time there was a mayor's race on Oahu.

The Maui County Clerk's Office reports receiving about 5,700 requests for mail-in ballots this year. Preliminary numbers show about 2,288 people voted through walk-in absentee voting.

The Big Island had about 5,241 mail-in requests and 6,629 walk-in absentees, and Kauai reports 2,910 mail-in requests and 3,106 walk-ins, Quidilla said.

Traditionally about 80 percent of absentee mail-in ballots are returned. If that trend holds true, absentee voters (mail-in and walk-in) could account for about 75,000 votes tomorrow.

In 2002, there were 69,544 absentee voters, about 25 percent of the total turnout and up from 49,192 absentee voters in 2000.

There have been a few problems with people not receiving mail-in ballots, county clerks said.

But that is not unusual, noted Glen Takahashi, the city election administrator. "With 47,000 pieces, you have to expect some will be mis-delivered," he said.

If a voter hasn't gotten a ballot by now, the best thing would be to go to their polling place on election day. If the ballot arrived late, voters should drop off their ballots at city hall today or tomorrow or at any polling place tomorrow to make sure it arrives in time to be counted, Takahashi said.

Quidilla cautioned that a large absentee turnout does not necessarily mean that there will be an increase in overall turnout on election day.