The special computerized equipment will be Hawai'i's first experience with electronic voting, Yoshina said.

"Nationwide, there's an ongoing debate about the security of these electronic voting systems," he said, including concerns the systems can miscount votes or are vulnerable to computer hackers.

Yoshina said disabled voters concerned about the security of the computerized system will have the opportunity to use a paper ballot with assistance from a companion or poll workers.

The sip and puff system uses a pneumatic switch rather than a keyboard or punchcard to make a selection. The switch is activated when the user either sucks or blows on a strawlike tube.

Another new aspect of this election is the national issue of terrorism threatening the election process.

"We've heard discussions about terrorism. If that happens here, we're telling our folks to take care of people first" and worry about the voting system afterward, Yoshina said.

State voter services coordinator Rex Quidilla said the state has not seriously discussed the possibility of changing the election dates in case of a terrorism threat. Changing dates would require extraordinary efforts to arrange for staffing and new voting sites for precinct locales that might not be available on other dates. It also would require changing state laws that specify when elections are held.

"There are numerous hurdles to overcome," Quidilla said.

What's not new in 2004 is the difficulty in finding people willing to staff the state's 353 polling places. Yoshina said there are 3,500 poll workers needed statewide, and thus far, only 1,300 have been recruited.

"We only have a third of the number we need. We'll take any person of any party" as long as they are U.S. citizens, Hawai'i residents, and at least 16 years of age by June 30. They must be registered to vote, or for those younger than 18, preregistered. Hawai'i residents can preregister when they turn 16.

The job doesn't pay much; Yoshina calls it "stipended volunteering."

A standard precinct worker needs about an hour and a half of training, and works from about 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on election days. The pay is $75. Depending on the size of the precinct, the precinct chairperson receives $85 to $140.

Serving in a precinct can be a lesson in civics and a rewarding event, Yoshina said.

"It's a great experience. It's almost like giving blood. After you're done, you feel good about it," he said.

The precinct officers will handle traditional paper balloting as well as the new computer systems, one of which will be stationed in each precinct. The exact model has not been selected.

Other than the new machine at polling places, the voting experience this year should be much like it was two years ago, except there will be fewer choices. Because of reapportionment, more seats were up for grabs in 2002 than normally. This year has no governor's race, but has the added excitement of a presidential contest.

In the 2002 general election, Hawai'i had 676,242 registered voters. Fifty-seven percent of them voted.