Maui Election

AARP Hawaii will sponsor a gubernatorial debate between Governor Neil Abercrombie and state Senator David Ige at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului on Friday, July 18.

The last day to register to vote in the primary election is Thursday, July 10, 2014. During the 2012 primary election, there were a total of 84,042 individuals registered to vote in Maui County. Of that number, only 30.6% or 25,702 individuals actually voted.

The new law is designed to reform elections in Hawaiʻi by allowing voter registration at early-voting locations in 2016, and at all Election Day polling sites in 2018.

The Sierra Club announced its Hawaiʻi endorsements of more than 40 candidates running for election in the upcoming 2014 primary election on August 9.

The state elections office released an uncertified list of candidates running in the 2014 election after the filing deadline passed on Tuesday afternoon. The list features several familiar faces and former elected officials.

Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui of Maui made his candidacy official by filing his nomination papers at the state Office of Elections in Honolulu, and kicking off his campaign with a sign waving event on South Beretania Street on Thursday afternoon.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa officially entered the 2014 mayor’s race by filing his nomination papers seeking re-election for another term on Friday morning.

Hawaiʻi voters will soon have the opportunity to register to vote at early voting sites and polling places, under a measure that gained final passage in the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

Governor Neil Abercrombie and former governor John Waiheʻe will headline a Democrat lūʻau fundraiser hosted by the Maui County Democratic Party at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at the Pu’u Kukui Elementary School Dining Room in Wailuku.

House Bill 2590 would allow voter registration at absentee polling places beginning in 2016; and late voter registration, including on election day, beginning in 2018.

Currently, there are no early walk-in voting sites on the island of Lānaʻi. The only walk-in locations in the county in the past election cycle were at the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku, and the Mitchell Pauole Center on the Island of Molokaʻi.

A total of 24 Maui residents have pulled papers for the upcoming 2014 elections since the candidate filing period began on Feb. 3.

Representative Kaniela Ing of Maui, who introduced the bill noted that Hawaiʻi has the lowest voter turnout in the nation. He said this challenge could jeopardize the effectiveness of Hawaiʻi’s democratic process.

HB321, introduced by Maui freshman Senator Kaniela Ing is aimed at increasing the state’s low voter turnout.

In the State House, Representative-elect, Kaniela Ing becomes the youngest legislator to win election from Maui this year. The 23-year-old Kihei resident managed to oust incumbent Rep. George Fontaine, 52, in last night’s General Election.

Maui voters said “NO” to a proposed amendment that sought to increase council terms from two to four years.

Maui’s voter turnout of 56.8% on General Election Day remained the lowest in the state, but above 2010 levels, and about 3,144 votes shy of the stronger 61% turnout during the last presidential election in 2008.

Maui has a new state representative and two new council members following yesterday’s 2012 general election.

After an initial waiting game, voters across the state finally saw the first summary report released during the 8 p.m. hour.

Results for Maui County and state-wide have been released – see the full breakdowns here.