Officials are recounting ballots cast in two close primary election races, the state Office of Elections said Tuesday.
One is the Republican contest for the Senate district serving ʻEwa Beach. Seven votes separate top vote-getter Bob McDermott and second place Kurt Fevella, the incumbent.
The other is the Republican race for the state House district serving Kapolei and Makakilo. Incumbent Kanani Souza leads Sheila Medeiros by one vote.
The recount was being done at the Oʻahu Counting Center at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.
The recounts will finish Tuesday in the best case scenario but officials are prepared for them to continue through Wednesday.
The results will be posted on the Office of Elections website.
Hawaiʻi law calls for an automatic recount when the vote difference is 100 votes or less or 0.5% of the total votes cast - whichever is smaller.
The recounts won’t include votes from ballots that have been “cured” or had envelope signatures fixed. Voters have a Friday deadline to correct such problems.
Blank votes and “over votes” - which is when voters select more options than allowed - aren’t included in calculations for total votes cast.
