Primary Ballot Returns Lagging Behind 2022 Levels
Voter turnout has dropped back to levels seen before the introduction of mail-in ballots.
Ballot returns across the state in advance of Saturday’s primary election are down by 14% compared to the same time in the 2022 primary.
As of Monday, 158,688 voters across the state had returned ballots compared to 186,000 four days before the polls closed in 2022.
The exception to the trend is Hawaii County, where Mayor Mitch Roth faces several opponents and there is interest in a number of County Council races. The ballot returns there are tracking slightly above 2022 levels.
Honolulu ballot returns are down by the largest margin, with 24,500 fewer votes reported as of Monday. That’s a 19% drop compared to 2022.
A total of 725,000 ballots were mailed out this year, according to the state Office of Elections — 5,000 fewer than in 2022.
Voter turnout in Hawaii for the 2020 primary and general elections ticked up briefly after the conversion to mail-in voting, but has since fallen back.
are still open for ballot collection, same-day registration and in-person accessible voting in all counties.
Ballot returns are updated daily by election officials. Here is the latest tally:
- City and County of Honolulu: 106,259 ballots received as of Monday compared to 130,795 at the same time in 2022.
- Hawaii County: 29,665 ballots received as of Monday, compared to 29,561 at the same time in 2022.
- Maui County: 15,564 ballots received as of Monday, compared to 18,025 at the same time in 2022.
- Kauai County: 7,200 ballots received as of Tuesday, compared to 7,631 at the same time in 2022.
Primary ballots can already be processed by officials, but the results won’t start to be released until polling officially closes on Saturday at 7 p.m. and the final turnout number won’t be available until Sunday morning.
State law requires a recount if the difference between two candidates is less than 100 votes or 0.25% of the votes cast in the election, whichever is the greater.
