With just about everything different in Hawaii’s 2020 primary, state election officials anticipate that glitches, if any, on Aug. 8 could come from the eight real- time, old-school “voter service centers” in the new era of statewide, mail-in voting.
Results in prior elections typically were held up by delays at any of 235 polling places — from sites that saw people still standing in line at closing time to logistical and other snags that kept election officials from declaring voting officially closed.
This year, with an estimated 7,000 mail-in ballots already received just from Oahu, Scott Nago, chief election officer for the state Office of Elections, said Tuesday that any glitches this year are expected to come from the eight voter service centers that will still allow people to register to vote — and then vote — for Hawaii’s primary election. The voter service centers are also scheduled to open Monday for people who want to vote in person through 6 p.m. Aug. 8.
The first election results on primary night are expected to be announced at 7 p.m., assuming there are no problems, Nago said.
But the new voter service centers offer a wild card with the possibility for human error.
“Basically, what’s going to be holding up the 7 o’clock report will be voting at a voter service center,” Nago said.
There are already some problems with some of the nearly 7,000 mail-in Oahu ballots, said state election spokeswoman Nedielyn Bueno.
“We do get a few (problems),” Bueno told reporters at the state’s new election center at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, which had been set up July 15 because the state Capitol has been shuttered to the public because of COVID-19.
Asked by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for specific voter problems with mail-in ballots, Bueno said, “They use Wite-Out” to correct mistakes.
In addition to voter service centers, drop boxes are available for voters who don’t want to return their ballots by mail.
On Oahu on Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Caldwell and City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson highlighted the ease for voters of placing ballots into one of Oahu’s eight yellow ballot drop boxes, such as one at Kaneohe District Park.
“If you don’t want to mail it, you can bring it here and drop it off,” Caldwell said while standing next to the Kaneohe drop box. “We’re trying to make it as easy and as convenient as possible.”
Caldwell and Anderson hope the drop boxes will help increase voter turnout.
Anderson said there will be some issues that come with mailing ballots to voters, including sending ballots to dead people and to old addresses, but he said there are measures being taken to ensure the integrity of a vote-by-mail election.
“The city does have in place mechanisms to ensure the accuracy and validity of a ballot,” Anderson said. “Rest assured, the city clerk’s office is indeed checking the signatures to ensure that the signatures on the ballot received actually match with the signature on file of the voter who the ballot is supposed to belong to.”
City Clerk Glen Takahashi, who was also present at the news conference, said that computer software validates signatures, but staff is available to manually validate signatures if the software cannot.
He also said that the 1,000-pound, heavy-duty drop boxes are “pretty tamper-proof” and were specifically designed for elections.
“We feel pretty confident in the boxes that we’ve chosen, because they are used in so many jurisdictions around the country,” he said.
Takahashi said the city started collecting ballots from the drop boxes Monday and that ballots are collected daily.
Voter service centers
Voter service centers, open 10 business days prior to the election and on Election Day, provide accessible in-person voting, same-day voter registration and collection of voted ballots.
Honolulu County
>> July 27 through Aug. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed on Aug. 2. They will re-open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Aug. 3 to Aug. 7; and open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 8, primary election day.
>> Honolulu Hale, 530 S. King St.
>> Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia St.
Hawaii County
>> Aupuni Center, Conference Room 101, Pauahi St. No. 1, Hilo
>> West Hawaii Civic Center, Community Room Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona
Kauai County
>> Piikoi Building, Conference Room A/B, 4444 Rice St., Lihue
Maui County
>> Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, 395 Waena St., Wailuku
>> Mitchell Pauole Center, 90 Ainoa St., Kaunakakai, Molokai
>> Lanai Police Station, 855 Fraser Ave., Lanai City
Places of deposit
Voters may drop off their ballot return envelopes to be collected by the county clerk’s Elections Division. Hours vary by location.
Honolulu
Open daily in accordance with regular park hours through 7 p.m. Aug. 8
>> Hawaii Kai Park and Ride, 240 Keahole St.
>> Kaneohe District Park, 45-660 Keaahala Road
>> Kahuku District Park, 56-170 Pualalea St.
>> Mililani Park and Ride, 95-1101 Ukuwai St.
>> Neal S. Blaisdell Park, 98-319 Kamehameha Highway, Aiea
>> Waianae District Park, 85-601 Farrington Highway
Open through Aug. 7, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 8
>> Honolulu Hale, 530 S. King St.
>> Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia St.
Hawaii County
Open Monday through Aug. 7, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 8.
>> Aupuni Center, Conference Room 101, Pauahi St. No. 1, Hilo
Open 24 hours a day from Aug. 3 through 7 p.m. Aug. 8.
>> Hawaii County Building, 25 Aupuni St., Hilo
>> Naalehu Police Station, 95-5355 Mamalahoa Highway
>> Pahoa Police Station, 15-2615 Keaau-Pahoa Road
>> Rodney Yano Hall, 82-6156 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
>> Waimea Police Station, 67-5185 Kamamalu St.
>> West Hawaii Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona
Maui County
Open Aug. 3 through Aug, 8, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
>> Aloha Aina Center, 810 Kokomo Road, Haiku
Open 24 hours a day from Aug. 3 through 7 p.m. Aug. 8
>> Haiku Community Center, Hana Highway at Pilialoha Street
>> Hana Fire Station, 4655 Hana Highway
>> Kahului Fire Station, 200 Dairy Road
>> Kalana O Maui County Building, 200 S. High St., Wailuku
>> Kihei Fire Station, 11 Waimahaihai St.
>> Kula Fire Station, 50 Calasa Road
>> Lahaina Civic Center, 1840 Honoapiilani Highway
>> Makawao Fire Station, 134 Makawao Ave.
>> Napili Fire Station, 4950 Hanawai St.
>> Paia Community Center, 252 Hana Highway
>> Wailea Fire Station, 300 Kilohana Drive
Open Monday through Aug. 7, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 8
>> Lanai Police Station, Conference Room, 855 Fraser Ave., Lanai City
>> Mitchell Pauole Center, Conference Room, 90 Ainoa St., Kaunakakai
>> Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, 395 Waena St., Wailuku
Kauai County
Open 24 hours a day from Aug. 3 through 7 p.m. Aug 8
>> Hanalei Fire Station, 5-4390 Kuhio Highway
>> Hanapepe Fire Station, 1-3787 Kaumualii Highway
>> Kalaheo Fire Station, 2-2480 Kaumualii Highway
>> Kapaa Fire Station, 4-757 Kuhio Highway
Open Aug. 3 through Aug. 7, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
>> Kapule Building Lobby, 4444 Rice St., Lihue
Open Monday through Aug. 7, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 8.
>> Elections Division, Office of the County Clerk, 4386 Rice St., Room 101, Lihue
Open Monday through Aug. 7, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 8.
>> Piikoi Building, Conference Room A/B, 4444 Rice St., Lihue
Correction: An earlier version of this story had incomplete times for Honolulu’s two service centers.
