The State Office of Elections will test the entire voting system, including that of Hawaii County Office of Elections, Saturday morning, August 4, at 9 a.m. The test will include absentee mail counters and the entire data network at all the Elections Offices in the state.
The purpose of the tests is to ensure that all hardware is working properly and to test the logic and accuracy of the ballot counting program. Independent observers comprised of representatives from the various political parties, civic and community groups will oversee and conduct the tests. The test will not include actual ballots, meaning ballots that would ultimately count in the election, but will include samples.
Statewide, absentee walk-in voting started last Monday and will continue through Thursday, August 9. On Hawaii Island, any registered voter may vote Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at any of three locations: Waimea Community Center, 101 Puahi Street in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, or at West Hawaii Civic Center in the community building on the makai side of the facility. Voters who have received absentee ballots may also turn them in at the three locations, but at the West Hawaii Civic Center the turn-in location for absentee ballots is upstairs in the Elections Office. They may also turn them in on Election Day, Saturday, August 11 at any polling location.
The date of the Primary Election is Saturday, August 11. Polling places islandwide are open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Any registered voter should have received their yellow card by now. If you registered and do not have your yellow voter card, call the County Elections Office at 961-8277.
A key thing for voters to remember: in the Primary, voters must select a political party and vote only in those races for the partisan races (U. S. Senate, U. S. House, State Senate, State House). All voters may vote for the nonpartisan races, Hawaii County Mayor, Hawaii County Prosecutor, and all nine County Council Districts. The ballot a voter receives will only include candidates running in their districts.
A list of all polling places and other voter information is online, http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/elections
