Ready to vote? Primary election ballots are now headed to mailboxes on Oahu

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - With a little less than a month until the August primary election, the city finished mailing out ballots Thursday to 478,000 registered voters on Oahu.

Right now, it’s quiet at the city’s ballot processing facility.

But in about a week, the machines that verify, count, and sort returned ballots will be humming.

In 2020, 96% of votes cast were mailed in.

“We’re really pleased about that,” said Honolulu City Clerk Glen Takahashi.

“That’s the process we recommend that all voters use. There’s really no need to be standing in line on one day to do your voting when you can get your packet and take care of business early.”

For this election cycle, the city has a total of 15 drop boxes for returned ballots stationed around Oahu.

Those who prefer to vote in-person can still do so at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale. The city will also be opening pop-up voter service centers in Kaneohe and Wahiawa.

“The thinking behind the pop-up centers was to provide a little bit more regional accessibility,” Takahashi explained. “We do know that for those living out in the country that use public transportation, it is a long ride. So we wanted to get out there for at least a few days and give them the opportunity to do it in their neighborhood.”

Voters are also now able to track the status of their mailed in ballot and if you need to request a new envelope, head to the city’s elections website.

“Go to our online replacement ballot request system and request that replacement because by the end of next week, voters should have all received their ballots by that time,” Takahashi said.

All mail-in ballots must be received (not postmarked) by 7 p.m. on Aug. 13.

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