Posted at 7:43 a.m., Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Handful of polling places don't open on time
Advertiser Staff
Logistical delays kept a handful of the 217 polling places on O'ahu from opening at 7 a.m. sharp today, said state Elections office spokesman Rex Quidilla.Two polling places at Haha'ione Elementary School and one at Pearlridge Elementary School did not open on time because "facility managers" who had the keys to the polling places did not arrive on time, Quidilla said.
Back up plans were put into play and the polling places are in the process of being opened open now, Quidilla said.
A voter in Hawaii Kai said as of 7:30 a.m., the polls at Haha'ione Elementary hadn't opened. About 100 voters were waiting outside for the school to be unlocked.
Meanwhile, precinct chairpersons did not arrive on time at polling places at Kalihi Valley District Park and Halawa District Park.
The responsibility for opening those polls was handed off to lower ranking precinct officials, Quidilla said.
"These are the normal kinds of logistical problems we have during any election," Quidilla said.
"The relatively minor problems we are having this morning are nothing like the much bigger problems we experienced on primary election day," Quidilla said.
