By now, registered voters in Maui County should have already received ballots for the Aug. 13 primary election. It’s a big election year, with voters set to choose who they think is best qualified to serve in a number of major roles, including as mayor, as the representatives of all nine county council districts and all nine state House and Senate seats for Maui, Molokai and Lanai. 

Even if you haven’t registered to vote yet, it’s not too late to do so. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about voting, based on information from Maui County’s Office of the County Clerk, which runs elections. 

When will residents who are already registered to vote in Maui County receive ballots? What happens if I don’t get mine?

Many ballot packets have already been mailed. If you haven’t received your ballot yet, call the Maui County clerk’s office at 808-270-7749 to ask for a replacement. You can also track your ballot by visiting hawaii.ballottrax.net/voter/dashboard. 

When is the last day to register to vote by mail for the Aug. 13 primary?

It depends. The deadline to submit a paper voter registration form is Aug. 3, which is intended to allow enough time to receive a ballot in the mail before the election. Meanwhile, the last day to request an absentee ballot is Aug. 6.

For residents living on Molokai, mail sent within Maui County is often routed through Honolulu before being delivered to its final destination. Because ballots must be received by Aug. 13 to be counted, will ballots from Molokai be sent directly to Maui, or routed through Honolulu first?

The Maui County clerk’s office has an arrangement with the U.S. Postal Service to hold all incoming mail ballots from Molokai and Lanai on those islands in the week before the Aug. 13 election. The ballots are held together, secured and then transported to Maui on the final day.

Can I vote in-person? Do I have to register to vote ahead of time?

You can register to vote — and cast your vote — on the same day at Maui County’s voter service centers. There are three main centers across the county, which in some cases open almost two weeks before the primary.

On Maui, the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, also known as the Wailuku community center, is the county’s largest center, where voters can register and cast their votes from Aug. 1-13. The county is also hosting a pop-up center on Aug. 6 at the Hana High & Elementary School cafeteria.

On Molokai, the Mitchell Pauole Center will be open from Aug. 1-13. And on Lanai, voters can go to the Lanai Community Center from Aug. 8-13. 

Do I need to bring an ID with me to vote in-person? If so, what kind?

The most common forms of ID that people bring with them to vote are drivers licenses, state IDs and passports. But even if you don’t have an ID, you can still cast your vote by confirming other personal information about yourself.

What should I do if I need special assistance to vote? 

If you or someone you know needs translation services or any other type of accommodation, call the Maui County clerk’s office at 808-270-7749.

I’m worried about the security of my signature on the outside of my mail-in ballot’s envelope. What should I do?

The signature is required. But if you don’t feel comfortable with the envelope going through the postal system, you can submit ballots directly to the county clerk via drop box or hand deliver it to the county clerk’s office at the county building on 200 S. High St. in Wailuku.

Do you have any other questions about voting or elections? Email Maui County reporter Marina Starleaf Riker at mriker@civilbeat.org, and she’ll try to get them answered and add them to this list.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.