A long line of residents waiting to vote could be seen Tuesday as Maui residents cued up to vote in the general election at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, Wailuku. The Maui News/MEGAN MOSELEY

KAHULUI — With only two in-person voting locations open on the island of Maui, local residents stood in line for nearly two hours Tuesday in Wailuku to vote in America’s presidential election.

Steve Dollahite was inching closer to casting his vote at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center and described the long line as “ridiculous.”

Regardless, he said it was crucial for residents to endure the line in order to exercise their freedom.

“It’s important to express your opinion,” he said. “It’s a free country; you have a right to vote.”

Justin McGuire, 27, of Pukalani said he was waiting in line with his employer, who ended up leaving because the line was too long. He continued to wait in hopes of being among the millions of voters Tuesday to cast their ballot.

“I wish there were more places to vote instead of one,” he said. “I was pretty excited to come. Basically, I’ve never voted before, and the last time I had a chance to vote, I didn’t and it didn’t go the way I wanted, so I’m trying to put my vote forward this time.”

Zachary Kamaka, 30, said he was waiting for his chance to vote for former President Donald Trump, and wished Maui County had opened up more voting locations on Election Day.

“It’s worth standing in line,” he said. “Back in the past, when Obama was running, you could go to multiple voting sites and right now there’s only one in Wailuku.”

Amber Corpuz brought her young son, Henry Honda, with her to vote. Avoiding the long wait, she submitted her ballot in the drop off location with her son by her side. She said she brought him with her so he could experience the election firsthand.

“It’s a privilege to vote and so we wanted to do our part. I wanted to teach him about voting,” she said.

Maui resident Shannielynn Akau said she was voting Tuesday and hoping for a peaceful resolution to what she described as a contentious election year.

“It’s very emotional. I’m hoping for a better future for our keiki, for our economy, our community, and hopefully we will see more unity in our community,” she said. “Nobody really has control over what’s going to happen.You can just come out and express your right to vote, and whatever the outcome is, we move forward from there.”

She added: “It’s something you can feel in the air. There’s an oppression to express who you want to vote for, which is sad too. Either way, you’re condemned for whatever side you’re voting for.”

Maui County Deputy County Clerk Richelle Thomson said the state legislature leaned toward mail-in voting in 2020, and residents this year had a chance to avoid the long lines by dropping off their vote or mailing it in.

However, that was not an option for residents who did not have an updated address on file or preferred to vote in person. Maui County residents also could have voted prior to Tuesday.

“We’ve been open for about two weeks,” she said.

She expected Tuesday to be a “long day” for poll workers to make sure Maui residents have their chance to vote.

“Our duties are to make sure that every voter that wants to cast a ballot gets to cast a ballot, update their records if they need it and ensure the overall flow of the election,” she said.

“The county is responsible for conducting the election, and the state takes over once the ballots are counted,” she added.

Maui County’s second in-person voting location was in Lahaina at the Lahaina Civic Center. Polls in Hawai’i close at 7 p.m.