Minor Problems Encountered Voting Today

UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.

Several polling sites encountered minor problems with either voting machines or ballot scanners this morning after precincts opened.

Nedielyn Bueno, voter services section head of the state Office of Elections, said a troubleshooter was sent to Ala Wai Community Park to fix a voting machine.

Troubleshooters also replaced a ballot scanner at a polling site at the Helemano Elementary School Cafeteria because it wasn’t powering up and fixed a ballot scanner at the Mililani High School Cafeteria.

Claudja So, a college student who just turned 18, cast her ballot for the first time at Kawananakoa Middle School where turnout was steady this morning.

“My parents were saying that as a citizen of the U.S., we are given this right to vote so that I should vote, and so I said OK — though I had to do some last minute research on the candidates,” So said. “I definitely feel like an adult now.”

Afterward, she posed for her parents for a photo with her “#hivoted” ballot stub. Her mother, Michelle, said she had urged Claudja to participate.

“I told her, I said many people have fought for us not just as women but as citizens to have the right to vote,” Michelle So said. “We have all these complainers and they’ve never voted. Whether your candidate wins or not, you had a say in who could have been on the seat or who isn’t going to make it.”

All 235 polling sites statewide opened at 7 a.m. today as voters trickle in at their designated polling places to cast their ballots.

“Everything seems to be running smoothly at this point,” said Nedielyn Beuno, voter services section head of the state Office of Elections.

As of Tuesday, over 188,000 absentee mail-in and early walk-in absentee ballots have been tallied so far for the general election.