Only 8,000 of 48,000 ballots for West Oahu’s City Council seat have been cast so far

HONOLULU—Oahu residents living in the area from Ewa to Makaha have until Wednesday, December 29 to cast their mail-in ballots in the Special Election for Council District I to replace former Councilmember Todd Apo.

“District I is arguably the most dynamic of the nine council districts,” said Honolulu City Council Chair Nestor Garcia. “It houses the only two operating landfills in the City and County, a major sewage treatment facility, the only major new hotel under construction on Oahu, the planned starting point for the rail transit system, an acute problem with homelessness, and it has experienced arguably the greatest growth over the past decade.”

The Honolulu City Clerk’s Office, which supervises all City elections, said of the nearly 48,000 ballots mailed out, about 8,000 have been returned. This represents about 17 percent of the total and trails the return rate of two previous special council elections. After the first seven days in the Special Election for Council District III in 2009, the return rate was 33 percent. The Special Election for Council District V, also held in 2009, had a return rate of 29 percent after the first week.

Mail-in ballots must be received by Dec. 29, 2010. Any voter who requires a replacement ballot or the use of an accessible voting machine may vote at Kapolei Hale or Honolulu Hale until December 27, 2010 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Voters can also cast their ballots on Christmas Day, December 25, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

For more information, visit http://www.honoluluelections.us/.