Turnout exceeds 2008 and 2006 primaries
CORRECTION» Voter turnout in Saturday’s primary election was 292,814, or 42.8 percent of registered voters, according to the latest tally by the state Office of Elections. This was higher than the 42.3 percent turnout in the 2006 primary. The story below gave a lower percentage for Saturday’s turnout and said it was a record low for a primary with a gubernatorial race. The information was based on Office of Elections results released Monday morning, but the data were updated later in the day. The updated changes do not affect the outcome of any race or the district-by-district breakdowns. |
The 42.8 percent of registered voters who cast ballots for Saturday’s primary election exceeded the turnout in the last two primary elections.
Ellection results released yesterday morning showed that 292,838 people voted out of Hawaii’s 684,481 registered voters.
The turnout was higher than the 36.9 percent of registered voters who cast ballots in Hawaii’s 2008 primary election and the 42.3 percent return for the 2006 primary.
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The 2006 race featured a hotly contested U.S. Senate primary that saw Democrat Ed Case unsuccessfully challenge Daniel Akaka.
Hawaii’s highest voter turnout in recent occurred in the 2008 general election, when native son Barack Obama won the presidency.
Hawaii normally has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country, but 66 percent of Hawaii’s 691,356 registered voters showed up at the polls for Obama’s presidential run.
Yesterday’s final primary results settled a handful of tight primary races.
Airline pilot John Willoughby of Salt Lake emerged as the winner in the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District, edging former TV news reporter Ramsay Wharton of Ewa Beach.
Willoughby, 51, won with 35.6 percent (8,018 votes) in the final printout released yesterday by the state Office of Elections. Wharton received 34.7 percent (7,806 votes).
Willoughby now moves on to the general election to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Libertarian Pat Brock and nonpartisan candidate Andrew Von Sonn also move on to the Nov. 2 election.
In the Democratic primary for the District 25 state Senate seat representing Lanikai-Waimanalo, legislative aide Pohai Ryan beat retired city planner Chuck Prentiss by 259 votes.
Ryan won with 28.7 percent (3,031 votes) compared with Prentiss’ 26.2 percent (2,772 votes).
Ryan will face Republican primary winner Virginia Enos in the November general election.
In the District 41 Democratic primary House race to represent Waipahu-Waikele, program coordinator Ty Cullen squeaked past attorney Cory Chun by 180 votes. The difference was enough to give Cullen 43.1 percent of the vote, compared with Chun’s 38. 4 percent.
Cullen will face Republican primary winner Carl J. Wong, a retired Honolulu police major. Wong defeated Angel Cordero by only 27 votes, giving Wong 40.1 percent of the turnout.
Correction: An earlier version and the print version of this story contained incorrect numbers after the state Office of Elections released additional results late yesterday morning.
