Hawaii voters find busy but smooth scene at Honolulu Hale today

A line of voters stretched to the sidewalk along South King Street fronting Honolulu Hale by 7 a.m. today as people cast their ballots at the voter service center for the 2020 general election.

Voter service centers in counties across the state are open until 7 p.m. today.

Rex Quidilla, the city elections administrator, said, “Things are going smoothly. The lines are longer than they were in previous days but that’s to be expected.”

Thirty-five-year-old Candice Johnson of Moanalua cast her ballot at the service center at Honolulu Hale by 8:20 a.m. today. “It was extremely efficient.”

As voters cast their ballots, the Mana Music Quartet and Puamana performed under a canopy tent on the lawn fronting the Mission Memorial Building.

The performances are part of a line-up for “Play for the Vote,” an effort organized by founder and director Mike Block where musicians are performing at in-person voting locations today to increase voter turnout in the general election and create a positive experience.

Nawahine Lanzilotti of the East-West Center Arts Program helped organize today’s performances in Honolulu with the Mayor’s Office of Culture & the Arts.

It allows people to pause and enjoy, Lanzilloti said. The performances also help the community “at a time when we all need that aloha,” she added.

Gilbert Magdato, 21, of McCully-Moiliili stood near the canopy tent as he listened to the melodic sounds by the Mana Music Quartet after he casted his ballot at Honolulu Hale. It’s very calming, he said of the string ensemble.

Performances are being livestreamed today on the East-West Center Arts Program’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ewc.arts.

As of Monday, the state Office of Elections has received more than 532,000 ballots statewide for the 2020 general election, according to spokeswoman Nedielyn Bueno. The tally so far represents a 64 percent turnout.

“We’re happy to see people are participating in the process,” Bueno said this morning.