Will Hawaiʻi Voters Once Again See Long Lines On Election Day?

Ever since Hawaiʻi first implemented its statewide mail-in voting system in 2020 there have been complaints that there aren’t enough places to vote in person on Election Day.

On two occasions, most recently during the 2024 general election, long lines formed at several polling sites. The lines were most prominent on population-heavy Oʻahu, where voters could only cast their ballots in person on Nov. 5 at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale.

Many voters stood in line for hours, delaying the reporting of results until well after midnight. Although the polls technically close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, by law they cannot close as long as someone is still waiting to perform their civic duty. At Kapolei Hale, the last voter cast a ballot well after 11 p.m. There were also lines in Wailuku on Maui and in Kona on the Big Island.

One solution, according to many lawmakers and government reform advocates, is to add more voter service centers to all four counties. The centers handle in-person voting, same-day voter registration and collection of voted ballots.



https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/04/will-hawaii-voters-once-again-see-long-lines-on-election-day/