Hawaii’s 2010 Primary Election absentee voting underway

HONOLULU—Early walk-in absentee voting for the 2010 Primary Election is underway. Any person registered to vote may cast an absentee ballot. If you cannot vote at your polling place for any reason or you will be absent from the State of Hawaii on election day, you may vote using an absentee ballot. You may also vote at an absentee walk-in polling place before election day.

The primary election is held to nominate candidates who will represent each political party in the General Election. Similarly, candidates who do not belong to a specific party must also be nominated in order to appear on the General Election ballot as a nonpartisan candidate. In Hawaii, a special type of primary called the “Single Party Primary” is conducted according to the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 12-31 provides:

“No person eligible to vote in any primary or special primary election shall be required to state a party preference or nonpartisanship as a condition of voting. Each voter shall be issued the primary or special primary ballot for each party and the nonpartisan primary or special primary ballot. A voter shall be entitled to vote only for candidates of one party or only for nonpartisan candidates. If the primary or special primary ballot is marked contrary to this paragraph, the ballot shall not be counted.”

Accordingly, candidates who belong to a specific party are listed alphabetically by contest on a specific party ballot. Candidates who do not belong to any party are listed alphabetically by contest on a nonpartisan ballot. Each voter is limited to voting for candidates on one and only one color-coded or nonpartisan ballot.

Votes cast by voters on more than one color-coded section are not counted.

Registered voters may vote at any of the following sites between now and September 16.

County of Hawaii

Hawaii County Clerk’s Office – Hamakua Conference Room
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Monday to Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Kona Elections Satellite Office – Ali‘i Plaza building
75-143 Hualalai Road, #102
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Monday to Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Waimea Community Center
65-1260 Kawaihae Road
Kamuela, HI 96743
Monday to Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Pahala Community Center
961149 Kamani Street
Pahala, HI 9677
Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

North Kohala District Courthouse
54-3900 Akoni Pule Highway
Kapaau, HI 96755
Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

County of Maui

Maui County Clerk’s Office
200 South High Street, #708
Wailuku, HI 96793
Monday to Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Mitchell Pauole Center on Molokai
90 Ainoa Street
Kaunakakai, HI 96748
Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

City and County of Honolulu

Honolulu Hale
530 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Monday to Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Kapolei Hale
1000 Uluohia Street
Kapolei, HI 96707
Monday to Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Windward Mall
46-056 Kamehameha Highway
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

County of Kauai

Historic County Annex Building Basement
4386 Rice Street
Lihue, HI 96766
Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Voters must show a photo ID, such as a driver’s license.

The Office of Elections set Saturday, September 18—the same day as the State primary elections—to be the special election day for the offices of Mayor and Prosecuting Attorney as well as the seats for Senate District 7 and 22.

For more information, visit http://hawaii.gov/elections.