The higher percentage of electronic votes cast Tuesday was disappointing news to members of Safe Vote Hawai'i, a group urging voters to boycott the electronic machines and to stick to the standard paper ballot that requires them to fill in circles on a sheet of paper to be optically scanned. The group, as well as others across the nation, say the results of the new machines cannot be trusted because there is no voter-verified paper audit trail.

At Honolulu Hale yesterday, most voters using the electronic machines were happy with them and unaware of the controversy surrounding "e-voting."

"It was simple and it was easy to correct any errors," said Kapahulu resident John Zirkle, 60, a police radio dispatcher. "It was quick and painless."

Zirkle said he wasn't bothered by the lack of a paper trail because "in a society rampant with dirty dealings, that might be a problem — but not in modern Hawai'i."

Waikiki resident Michelle Drake, 39, said she heard about the potential problems and was "a little bit" bothered by them. But that did not stop her from going electronic yesterday. "It's easier and more convenient, plus I'm used to computers because I work with them," said Drake, a nurse. She said she hopes elections officials are able to satisfy the concerns raised by those who objected to use of the machines.

Rex Quidilla, state voter services coordinator, said 4,171 voters entered absentee walk-in booths on Tuesday, the first day for absentee on-site voting. Of those, 3,206 used standard paper ballots while 965 people, or 23.1 percent, used the machines. Highest use of the new machines was on O'ahu (26.2 percent), followed by Hawai'i County (21.7 percent).

The highest percentage of voters using the machines came at sites where more of the machines were available. There were eight electronic machines available at City Hall, where 306 voters used them Tuesday, according to city elections officials.

"Usage really depends on availability," said Glen Takahashi, city elections administrator.

During the primary election season, the new machines were not available at absentee walk-in sites. On primary election day, one electronic voting device was available at each of 352 polling places, Quidilla said. The exception was the precinct in Kalaupapa.

Jason Forester, spokesman for Safe Vote Hawai'i, said the group tried unsuccessfully to persuade elections officials to allow only people with disabilities to use the electronic devices.

Quidilla said elections workers are instructed to tell voters that they have the option of using the standard paper ballot or the new electronic machines.

"It just seems obvious to us that these machines aren't ready for the use they're being put to," Forester said. "We're not against the machines; we're against the fact they cannot be trusted without any kind of auditing."