The official count is in, and more than 655,000 voters have registered to cast ballots in Hawai'i's Sept. 23 primary election — nearly 30,000 more than were registered for the 2004 primary.

But the numbers don't necessarily reflect a crush of new voters or increased interest in politics, officials caution. There are only about 8,000 more registered voters now than there were for the 2004 general election, the most recent contest held.

"There was no obvious trend or spike in voter registration, but we expect more voters, as in the past, to register for the general election, and we'll see more activity leading up to the general election," said state voter services coordinator Rex Quidilla.

About 30,000 voters were removed from the registration rolls after the last election because they moved or died, or their status could not be verified, Quidilla said.

The question now is: How many registered voters actually will cast ballots this time?

Only four out of 10 registered voters participated in the 2004 primary, and less than seven out of 10 voted in the 2004 general.

But more than three out of 10 voters who did cast ballots in each of those contests did so before election day via absentee ballot.

Voters have been casting absentee mail-in ballots in this election for the past three weeks, and walk-in absentee voting will begin on Monday at designated polling places.

Voters have until Sept. 16 to request an absentee mail-in ballot from their county clerk's office. No advance request is necessary for early walk-in voting, which will remain an option until Sept. 21.

It's now too late to register for the primary, but eligible voters have until Oct. 9 to register for the Nov. 7 general election.

There are 299 candidates running for 108 federal, state and county offices in the Sept. 23 primary. For most offices, the top vote-getters from each political party will face off against each other in the general election.