STATE OF
OFFICE OF ELECTIONS
FACTSHEET
ELECTIONS
IN
In every
even numbered year, the State of
The 2008 Elections will
be held on the following dates:
Primary Election: Saturday,
September 20, 2008
General Election: Tuesday,
November 4, 2008
In order to
vote in Federal, State or County elections, eligible citizens must register to
vote. You are eligible to register if
you meet the following qualifications:
·
You are a citizen of the
·
You are a resident of the State of
·
You are at least 16 years old (but you must be
18 years old by the day of the election to vote).
Registering
to vote is easy: all you need to do is complete the Affidavit on Application
for Voting (also known as the Wikiwiki Voter Registration form) and submit it
to the appropriate City/County Clerk’s office before the Registration
Deadlines.
Primary Registration Deadline: Thursday, August 21, 2008
General Registration Deadline: Monday, October 6, 2008
PRIMARY
ELECTION
The Primary Election is a
nomination process to choose candidates who will represent the political
parties at the General Election. You,
the voter, select the candidates of the political party of your choice. Your choice of party and candidates remains
secret.
In the Primary Election,
you must select only one party in the Select a Party section of the ballot
card, then vote for the party that you selected. If you do not select a party and you vote in
more than one party ballot in this section, your vote will not be counted. Vote only for the candidates of the party you
selected. Votes for another party’s
candidates will not be counted.
On the Primary Ballot
Card, the Board of Education and county election contests are listed separately
on the white “Special Nonpartisan Offices Ballot.” On the Special Nonpartisan
Offices Ballot, you may select the candidates of your choice for the Board of
Education and County contests in addition to the candidates you may have
selected on the party or nonpartisan ballot.
Each contest specifies the number of seats open for
election in that contest. For some
contests, there may be multiple seats.
You may vote for no more than the number of candidates specified for
that contest.
In the General Election, you may choose from among
the candidates nominated in the Primary Election. You may vote for party or nonpartisan
candidates, and your choice of candidates will remain secret.
Federal, State and County offices are listed on the
General Ballot Card by contest.
Candidates for each office are listed alphabetically and their
partisan/nonpartisan affiliation is noted.
You may select the candidate of your choice for each contest. You may also vote for the candidates of their
choice for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).
For some contests (OHA and Board of Education),
there may be multiple seats. You may
vote for no more than the number of candidates specified for each contest.
Anyone registered to vote
may vote by absentee ballot – by mail or in person.
To vote
absentee by mail:
·
You must submit an Application for Absentee
Voter Ballot (also known as the Wikiwiki Absentee Application form) or write a
letter to the City/County Clerk where you are registered to vote. You will need to specify the address you want
your ballot mailed to; and
·
You must return your completed Application for
Absentee Voter Ballot to your City/County Clerk by the following deadlines:
Primary: Saturday,
September 13, 2008
General:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
·
You must return
your voted Absentee Ballot to your City/County Clerk by the day of the
respective election.
To vote absentee in person, you must vote at an absentee polling place established by the City/County Clerk where you are registered to vote. You do not need to request an absentee ballot to vote absentee in person. The periods for Absentee Voting-in-person are:
Primary:
September 8 – 18, 2008
General:
October 21 – November 1, 2008
The purpose
of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is to
enable absent uniformed services and overseas citizens to vote by absentee
ballot in the primary, general, and special elections for Federal Offices. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)
assists absent uniformed services and overseas citizens in registering to vote
and requesting absentee ballots. If a
requested absentee ballot is late in reaching the voter, a Federal-Write-in
Absentee Ballot (FWAB) may be used to vote in the General Election for Federal
offices. FWABs are available through
Voting Assistance Officers at military installations or at
WHERE
TO VOTE
Properly registered voters in the State of
Questions regarding voter registration status or
polling place location should be directed to the appropriate City/County Clerk:
POLLING
PLACE AND HOURS
Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. To avoid long lines at the polls, vote during non-peak hours:
· In the morning, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
·
In the afternoon, between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00
p.m.
TIME OFF FOR VOTING
VOTERS REQUIRING SPECIAL
ASSISTANCE
Voters requiring special assistance at the polling place on Election Day should speak to the Voter Assistance Official at their polling place.
This
Factsheet is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used as
an authority on the
Office of Elections
Phone: 808-453-VOTE(8683)
TTY: 808-453-6150
Internet:
www.hawaii.gov/elections
Office of Elections - FSVS522O
rev. August
2008