Voter turnout in the special election to fill Hawaii's vacancy in Congress has already topped 50 percent.

Results are expected to be announced shortly after today's 6 p.m. deadline to get ballots in to the state Office of Elections.

As of yesterday about 159,000 (50.2 percent) of the 317,000 ballots sent to voters in the 1st Congressional District had been returned. Ballots are still being accepted up until today's deadline at drop-off boxes at the Office of Elections in Pearl City and on the Beretania Street side of the state Capitol by the St. Damien statue.

Recent polls show Republican Charles Djou leading Democrats Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa. They are among 14 candidates vying to replace Neil Abercrombie, who resigned his seat in February to concentrate on a run at governor.

The 50 percent turnout is a 12 percent jump from a week ago, when Djou declared to a Washington, D.C., newspaper that the race was “;pretty much over.”; Democrats have hammered Djou on that statement, urging voters to return their ballots to help their cause.

Veteran University of Hawaii political scientist Neal Milner said the high voter turnout is likely to benefit Djou.

“;I think Republicans are more likely to turn out—solid Republicans—and I also think that independents are probably leaning a little bit to the right, and they're the most likely to vote,”; Milner said.

Democrats have promoted the notion of higher turnout helping to keep the seat Democratic.

“;Normally it's a Democratic state and it benefits the Democrats,”; said John Hart, a communications professor at Hawaii Pacific University and political observer. “;I think the unknown factor is this huge anti-incumbent, anti-government mood and how many of those people are in this mix.

“;I don't think you can automatically presume those votes are Democratic.”;

National eyes are on the seat as Republicans look to score political points by flipping the seat in President Barack Obama's home state.

Democrats are hoping for a come-from-behind victory to stem any GOP momentum heading into the November elections by holding on for the second time this week. On Tuesday, Democrat Mark Critz won a special election in Pennsylvania to fill the seat of his former boss, Rep. John Murtha, who died in February.

But even the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has conceded the race, having pulled out its resources after spending $300,000 in attack ads against Djou. The DCCC cited the inability of the local party to rally behind a single candidate and said it would concentrate on trying to win back the seat in November.

“;Yeah,”; was Rep. Chris Van Hollen's blunt response Thursday when asked whether the DCCC was writing off the special election. Van Hollen is chairman of the committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.