Hawaii Mail Ballot Returns Lag 20%; Officials Expect Election Day In-Person Surge
On November 1, election officials in Honolulu, Hawaii, said the city is preparing for a surge of in-person voting as the November 3 midterm Election Day approaches. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, mail ballots returned by Oahu voters are running about 20% behind the same point in the last midterm election in 2022, and officials expect many voters to wait until the last moment to vote in person.
Hawaii conducts elections mainly by mail, but voter service centers remain available for those who need to vote in person or replace a ballot. Officials noted that lagging mail returns do not necessarily mean lower turnout; in past years many voters have also made a habit of showing up on Election Day itself.
Notably, if in-person voters arrive in a concentrated wave, counting and the release of statewide results could be delayed accordingly, and voters and candidates will need to wait patiently for official totals. Election officials urged Oahu voters who have not yet voted to return their ballots early, or check the hours of the nearest voter service center in advance, to avoid long lines on Election Day and make sure their ballots are counted in time.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于檀香山的檀香山政厅（资料图）。Farragutful摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Honolulu Hale in Honolulu, Hawaii (file photo). Photo by Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
