The state is urging eligible voters to register for the Nov. 3 general election by signing up from the safety of their vehicles at Aloha Stadium from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Remember to maintain social distancing, wear a mask and bring a Hawaii driver’s license or state ID. Those without either ID can just provide the last four digits of their Social Security number.
By law, people can still register 10 days before the election at voter service centers that will open across the islands — and even register and vote on Election Day, said Nedielyn Bueno, head of the state Office of Elections’ voter services.
All ballots are supposed to be received by 7 p.m. on election day. But people still standing in line to vote in person will be allowed to vote after the official close of polls, which could delay election results.
The Nov. 3 election will decide the next mayor of Honolulu and the next president of the United States. And the state Office of Elections has been receiving plenty of inquiries about how to register to vote, Bueno said.
Information is available at olvr.hawaii.gov/.
The calls follow an unprecedented number of ballots cast in Hawaii’s August primary — more than 406,000. And 99% of ballots were delivered by mail.
Bueno on Friday did not immediately have information on the number of people who have registered so far for the general election, but interest remains intense.
“It looks like the numbers did go up since the primary,” Bueno said. “We know that people are very eager to register to vote. ‘This is the one election you don’t want to miss’ is what I’ve been hearing. So it’s very important to register.”
Each county clerk is scheduled to send out mail-in ballots next week, starting with Honolulu on Monday and Tuesday.
Hawaii County ballots are scheduled to be mailed out Wednesday, followed by Maui County on Thursday and Kauai County on Friday.
All ballots are expected to get into voters’ hands by Oct. 16. Anyone who does not receive a ballot by then should contact their county clerk.
Like the primary election, voters will have several options to vote, including simply returning their ballots by mail, dropping them off at remote ballot sites and at voters service center — or by voting in person.
“They do have options,” Bueno said.
Voters worried that their vote may not be counted, Bueno said, “just need to make a plan to return their ballot.”
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