After voters on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi drop their ballots in an official ballot drop box, what happens to them next?
“We're the only three-island county, and so we manage the voter service centers on all three islands,” said Deputy County Clerk Richelle Thomson. Her office oversees elections in Maui County.
Ballots from Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi take a trip that begins when the polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
"The ballots from the drop box are collected, seal certified, and paperwork filled out and all, and then they're transported to the airport," said Thomson.
From there, ballots are loaded aboard special flights on Kamaka Air.
“On election night, we have charter planes,” she said. “One going to and from Lānaʻi, one going to and from Molokaʻi, that bring the ballots and the equipment.”
There's a county bidding process for those flights.
"They have been excellent working with us to ensure the official to official transport," said Thomson.
Kamaka Air's Executive Vice President, Sales and Cargo Operations George Kaʻanana said the airline is happy to be part of the process.
“For Kamaka, our biggest motto is to take care of the community, and so this fits right into that,” he explained. “And we also see it as part of our civil duty to help out.”
For Kamaka pilots, Kaʻanana said the election night flights are just another part of the job.
“They're always moving freight and checking off lists that we have,” he said. “So in this case, it's pretty much the same thing. They help the voter officials get the items onto the aircraft, sign off on it, and then once they get into Maui, do a double check and then sign off. So it’s pretty much what they do every day.”
Thomson said there are backup plans and security measures at each step to make sure the ballots arrive safely.
“Security is always a big concern, and we refer to it as chain of custody,” she said. “We definitely have checks and balances for the outer islands because they go through an additional process because they have to be transported by air.”
At the Kahului Airport, the ballots are met by election officials and transported to the County building in Wailuku.
“I would say all of that, probably looking at about 9 p.m., and then the ballots will be processed from that point," she said.
First, they're verified by the county clerk's office.
"We, on the county side, scan the ballots and do signature verification,” explained Thomson. “We don't open any of the ballots, that's a state function."
Then the ballots move upstairs to the state counting center, set up in the Council Chambers.
“It's really a fabulous operation,” said Thomson. “Up there, there are separate stations. We have official observers. There's ballot opening, and then they move to the next station where they take the ballot out, separate it from the secrecy sleeve, and then they're all scanned in and tallied.”
Historically, Maui County results come in later because of these complicated logistics. But Thomson said that has changed.
"Don't want to jinx us, but for the last two (election) cycles, Maui County has come in first in terms of being able to process our county's ballots,” she said. “So we're hoping to keep that accolade, but we have some backup plans just in case you know anything needs to be addressed as we go through the night."
Across Maui County, almost 98,000 ballots were issued. As of Friday, about 25,000 ballots had been cast. Thomson said that’s about average for this point in the election. Maui County voter turnout is typically a little over half.
Some Voter Service Centers on Maui are already open, but for Lahaina, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, Voter Service Centers open on Saturday, as well as on Monday and Tuesday. To find Maui County Voter Service Center hours and locations, click here.
“So if voters haven't received their ballots, made a mistake on their ballots, or they want to register and vote for the first time, they can head down to the Voter Service Center and get set up,” said Thomson.
Thomson recommends putting your completed ballot in an official drop box instead of mailing it, to make sure it's processed when the General Election closes at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
