HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state’s election results were delayed for hours Tuesday as voters on Oahu ― in Hawaii’s first general election conducted mostly by mail ― made their way through long lines at two polling locations on the island to vote in person.
Hundreds were still in line at Kapolei Hale about 9 p.m. At Honolulu Hale, the last person walked in to cast a ballot at 9:21 p.m. And the first results for the election weren’t released until after 11 p.m. ― four hours after the polls were set to close at 7 p.m., when anyone still in line was allowed to cast a ballot.
But getting through the lines at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale was taking up to four hours.
Scott Nago, the state’s chief elections officer, acknowledged the lines were a significant issue on Election Day and noted that the city was responsible for determining how many Voter Service Centers to set up on Oahu. “We’ll sit down with the county clerks to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said. “I’m not sure what went into the selection of the Voter Service Centers.”
Elections officials said polls in Maui County, on Kauai, and in Kona were closed by about 8 p.m. and those in Hilo were about to close.
But the polling locations on Oahu were still open, and lines in the hundreds snaked around the buildings. Elections officials described the lines as unprecedented.
“This is a lot of people taking very seriously their right to vote,” said Rex Quidilla, the city’s election administration. He said in-person voting had been relatively light leading up to Election Day.
This was the first year of Hawaii’s move to an election mostly conducted by mail.
“I haven’t seen a line like this ever before,” he said, adding that the lines are “progressing.”
Election Day in Hawaii started with a record number of ballots already cast, mostly in person, and long lines forming at Voter Service Centers for those looking to vote in person. And those lines continued through the day and into the evening, with tens of thousands coming out to vote in person.
The turnout ― one of the biggest stories of the day ― was an incredible show of voter energy in a state that typically sees one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the nation.
Colin Moore, HNN political analyst, said the long lines were a surprise (even with high interest in the presidential election). “Clearly, state officials didn’t anticipate this either,” he said. “We’re going to see turnout that we haven’t seen in this state since the early ’90s. We clearly are turning the corner.”
But with long waits, the lines also raised questions about whether elections officials had miscalculated in only offering two in-person voting locations on Oahu.
Going into Tuesday, officials said the turnout with early voting chiefly by mail was already above 60% ― and that the number of votes cast had eclipsed the 2008 record.
The Voter Service Centers on Oahu, at Kapolei Hale and Honolulu Hale, opened at 7 a.m.
But lines started forming as early as 5 a.m.
Early in the evening, Honolulu City Clerk Glen Takahashi said he expected in-person voters to make up about 4% of all those who cast ballots. It’s believed that figure is much higher.
One of those who opted to vote in person was Leoncio Labuguen, of Honolulu.
“We finally came to our senses and conclusions knowing that voting does make a difference, especially with this time that we are going through now,” said Labuguen.
Other last-minute voters said they came out looking for change, but not everyone agreed what that looked like. Several said they were anxious about the outcome.
One thing they agreed on: They thought the wait to vote was worth it.
“I’m tense,” said voter Jamie Kent. “I think people are really trying to look into what matters.”
Voter Megan Okamoto came out because she doesn’t believe the country is headed in the right direction. “We’re supposed to be progressive, not regressing,” she said. “And I feel like that’s currently where we’re heading back to, again, unfortunately.”