County election ballots to go into mail Oct. 8

Maui County election ballots will be dropped in the mail on Oahu on Oct. 8, meaning that voters could begin receiving their ballots as early as the next day, County Clerk Kathy Kaohu said Wednesday.

There were a few complaints in the primary election — the state’s first election by mail — about ballots going out a week earlier than the July 21 date set by the state Office of Elections. Candidates said they were forced to reschedule their advertising and placements.

To avoid that problem in the general election Nov. 3, Kaohu sought to alert the public about the date of the mailing of the ballots.

Voters who have not received their ballot by Oct 16 should contact the Office of the County Clerk at 270-7749, she said.

The Office of Elections recommends putting ballots in the mail no later than Oct. 26, five business days before the election.

After Oct. 26, there will be three voter service centers at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku, the Mitchell Pauole Center Conference Room on Molokai and the Lanai Police Station. They will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2. On Election Day, the centers will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters also can drop off their ballots in one of 12 ballot drop boxes countywide from Oct. 8 through 7 p.m. Election Day. All will be open 24 hours daily, except for the one at the Aloha Aina Center in Haiku, which will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters will be able to register and vote on the same day at the voter service centers. Residents who would prefer to vote inperson at a voter service center need to bring their mailed ballot with them, Kaohu said.

The County Clerk’s Office will be holding a drive-thru voter registration drive from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Kahului Shopping Center. While residents can register and vote at voter service centers, Oct. 5 is the last day for online or mail voter registration. Applications must be postmarked to the Maui County Clerk’s Office by Oct. 5.

Voters could begin receiving them as early as the next day

Kaohu said that about 130 people came through to register at the County Clerk’s drivethru registration event at the Kahului Shopping Center on Aug. 8 for the primary election.

For more information on voting and the election, go to the state elections website at elec tions.hawaii.gov/. The Maui County Office of the County Clerk is in the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku. The office can be reached by phone at 270-7749 and by email at county.clerk@maui county.us.