Redistricting may be behind low turnout
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
State election officials suggested that the light voter turnout yesterday might have been because of redistricting that meant new polling places for residents, along with the University of Hawai'i football game and the high school football doubleheader at Aloha Stadium.
The officials reported no major glitches with the new ballot and vote-counting machines at the 351 polling places as Hawai'i residents showed up at their precincts under generally clear and sunny skies.
"We are behind the voter turnout in past elections," said Rex Quidilla, state Office of Elections spokesman. By midafternoon, only about 23 percent of the state's 667,679 registered voters went to the polls.
"There are probably a lot of factors that came into play," said Quidilla, while a TV in a back room of the election control center at the State Capitol aired the University of Hawai'i football game against Texas El-Paso. In addition, 25,000 tickets were sold for last night's HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank gridiron classic involving the St. Louis and Kahuku football teams.
The doubleheader started about an hour before the polls closed at 6 p.m.
Quidilla said he thought those football games may have steered potential voters away from the polls.
He also said reapportionment of the political district boundaries may have come into play. Nearly 30 percent of state voters were assigned to new polling places because of reapportionment. Some voters said they were perplexed and frustrated by the new precinct assignments.
Adding to the confusion, about 25 previous polling places were not used this year because of scheduling conflicts and renovations, Quidilla said.
Anticipating the potential problem, state elections officials mailed cards in June to all registered voters informing them of their designated polling place. But there was confusion anyway. Leeona Kekua, a precinct chairwoman at Waipahu Elementary, said she turned away about 50 residents who had voted there in the past, but were assigned to new locations because of redistricting.
'Ewa and Waipahu were especially affected by redistricting because the booming population there prompted changes in the political district boundaries.
"One couple said they went to five different precincts before coming to ours, and they weren't assigned to vote here, either," Kekua said. "Many of the senior citizens took the bus here, and they found out they had to travel to someplace else to vote. Many of them were frustrated and I felt for them."
Windward resident Doug Smith, 40, who lives a block away from 'Aikahi Elementary School and normally votes there, said he was told by precinct workers that he had to vote at Kalaheo High, about 1 1/2 miles away. Smith said he could drive, but a neighbor was redirected elsewhere as well, got discouraged and decided not to vote.
"It is kind of frustrating," Smith said. "I'm not blaming the poll workers, they are doing their jobs; it's just this redistricting format."
There were a few minor glitches with the ballot-counting machines this year, with precincts in Waikele and Waimanalo opening a half-hour late until the machines were repaired or replaced.
On the Big Island, a power failure hit South Kona after a traffic accident cut electricity at St. Benedict's Church. A backup battery quickly restored power at the Honaunau precinct polling place. Also, workers failed to show up on time at a couple of precincts, delaying the 7 a.m. openings.
Kaua'i County Clerk Peter Nakamura said Kaua'i voting appeared to have gone smoothly, with no reports of major problems with the counting equipment and no reports of long delays in voting.
Some precincts across O'ahu were nearly empty at 5 p.m., when last-minute voters usually rush in before the polls close. One Waipahu precinct of 600 registered voters had just over 100 voters show up by 5 p.m., election officials said.
Even before the first printout of results last night, Hawai'i County Clerk Al Konishi called the election turnout "the worst I've seen," saying workers mostly sat waiting for voters at almost every precinct. At Hilo High School, fewer than 200 of 800 registered voters had cast ballots by 3 p.m.
"We had no real lines. It was a miserable turnout," Konishi said.
Staff writers Hugh Clark and Jan Tenbruggencate contributed to this report.
