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Early walk-in voting begins Monday

Early walk-in voting begins Monday at a new location on Maui — the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku, the Office of the County Clerk announced.

Voters will not be able to cast their votes at the longtime absentee walk-in voting site, the County Clerk’s Office on the seventh floor of the county building in Wailuku.

The move was driven by an increase in absentee walk-in voting, County Clerk Danny Mateo said.

“In the 2016 primary and general elections, our office serviced over 5,000 early walk-in voters”, Mateo said. “Nationally and statewide, every year more voters are choosing to vote early. It has become quite evident that a bigger facility with more available parking was needed to accommodate the growing numbers of early voters.”

Absentee walk-in voting on Molokai will take place at the conference room of the Mitchell Pauole Community Center in Kaunakakai. There is no absentee walk-in voting location on Lanai.

Absentee walk-in voting will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday through Aug. 9.

This year, voters still may register to vote at early walk-in voting sites and on primary election day, Aug. 11, at their assigned polling place.

To register and vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a Hawaii resident and at least 18 years of age.

Mateo said that those who have yet to register to vote or need to update their voter registration records should expect longer wait times. He encouraged early voters to avoid the dates and times that are typically busy.

“Historically, more people tend to vote early at the start and end of the early voting period, and on the Saturday the early voting facility is open,” Mateo said. “Lunchtime and at the end of the day are typically busier as well.

“Voters may have less wait time at the facility if they come to vote during the slower periods.”

For more information, go to www.mauicounty.gov/elections.

To check voter registration status, to find a polling place, or to view a sample of a ballot, visit elections.hawaii.gov or call (808) 453-VOTE (8683).

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