Make Sure Your Vote is Counted; Mail Your Ballots Back Early

Have you filled out and returned your mail ballot yet?

Primary Election Day is Saturday, Aug. 8 and all ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Aug. 8. Postmarks don’t count. And don’t forget to sign the envelope or your ballot may not be counted.

If you haven’t returned your ballot yet, make sure you get it in the mail by Aug. 3. After Aug. 3, drop it off at a ballot drop box rather than putting it in the mail to be certain it will arrive on time to be counted.

If you’ve already mailed your ballot back and want to make sure it was received, go to ballotstatus.hawaii.gov to see if your county elections office received it and if it will be counted or if there are problems with the ballot or signature.

If you prefer to vote in person or if you haven’t registered yet for the primary election, you can register and vote at Voter Service Centers that are open on each island through Election Day.

You can call your county clerk, the state Office of Elections at 453-VOTE (8683) or go online to elections.hawaii.gov if you have questions about voting or to find out where voter service centers and ballot drop boxes are located. For Oahu, call 768-3800, Hawai’i island 961-8277, Maui County 270-7749, and Kauai 241-4800. If you’ve never voted by mail before, here’s what you should know before you fill out your ballot:

• Traditional polling places will not be open on Election Day.
• Use a blue or black pen and completely fill the rectangle next to the candidate to cast a vote.
• If you make a mistake, call your county clerk and request a new ballot. Do not use whiteout, it could invalidate your vote.
• Vote for only one candidate in all races, except the Kauai County Council race, where you can vote for up to seven candidates.
• Check off only one political party or the non-partisan ballot on the front page of the ballot and only vote in that one party or non-partisan races

Elections officials urge people to return mail ballots in early, so that there is enough time to correct any mistakes or problems with verifying your signature. Corrected ballots or signatures must be received by five days after Election Day to be counted.

As you vote in this first statewide mail election, we urge you to carefully consider all the issues and candidates, vote safely at home and make sure your vote is counted.