HONOLULU (KHON2) — With three days left until Hawaii’s Primary Election, overall turnout appears to be down by 26% (83,000) compared to the last election, according to the state Office of Elections. Due to the lack of participation, they have had to cancel shifts for ballot counters.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 10, the Honolulu Elections Division received a total of 163,290 ballots.
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“We create and schedule volunteers to ensure coverage,” a spokesperson for state Office of Elections said. “It is important to note that we cannot work at the counting center without Official Observers, so we need to have them scheduled.”
That means making adjustments to the schedule depending on how many ballots they receive. This practice was started in 2020 with the implementation of elections by mail.
The base stipend for the first shift varies by county. If volunteers work more, they will be paid $35 per additional shift.
Hawaii’s Primary Election will determine which candidates appear on November’s general election ballot for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senate and House, and other offices. Voters will be allowed to register and vote until 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13.
For more information about Hawaii’s elections, click here.
