Polls are open until 6 p.m. Look here to find your polling place. Civil Beat’s unofficial General Election Ballot includes links to candidate Q&As. Find other useful information in our Hawaii Elections Guide. 

We’re expecting the first round of Hawaii results around 7 p.m. Follow us at civilbeat.org, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Schatz: ‘It Is Shocking’

8:05 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz tried to cheer up a somber roomful of Democrats at the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu.

“It’s fair to say that what happened tonight is kind of beyond a lot of our imaginations. It is shocking,” he said, referring to Republican Donald Trump’s path to victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“And it’s not just shocking in terms of the likely outcome of the presidency, but there are so many people who don’t share our values in parts of the mainland,” Schatz said.

“What you can have is solace in is that the Democratic Party of Hawaii is strong, that our values are in tact, that we continue to be a shining light where we understand that diversity is a strength and not a weakness, that kindness and tolerance are to be cultivated, that government is a force for good,” Schatz said.

— Nathan Eagle

It’s Election Day! What’s On The Menu?

6:56 p.m.

No election day coverage would be complete with a rundown of what’s on the menu at the various campaign get-togethers.

I’m currently at former Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa’s party at Kakaako Agora.

She’s not here yet, but the food is.

Hanabusa’s people brought in a number of food trucks to keep her supporters full as they await the results of tonight’s election.

The vendors are serving braised short-ribs, ahi katsu tacos with “braddah sauce,” and “KFC,” otherwise described as Korean (flavored) fried chicken.

While the food has people smiling the mood is somewhat tense.

Hanabusa is expected to win her seat back in Congress by a wide margin. But it’s Donald Trump that has people worried.

The Republican presidential candidate is currently leading Hillary Clinton, and some here are worried that he’ll actually win.

In fact, Hanabusa’s supporters literally prayed to God that that wouldn’t happen.

—Nick Grube

Hawaii Polling Places Open Late

6:44 p.m.

The Office of Elections says 125 polling places remained open at 6:30 p.m. because of long lines and voting maching problems earlier in the day.

— Richard Wiens

Democrats’ Mellow Election Night Party

6:30 p.m.

Hawaii Democratic Party Chair Tim Vandeveer and Oahu Chair Reena Rabago tried to fire up a mellow crowd of roughly 80 people at the Japanese Cultural Center, the main election-night party for Democrats.

“I’m super-duper nervous right now,” Rabago said, referring to the closeness of the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Hawaii’s congressional delegation and other Democratic candidates are expected to come to the center later this evening after the first round of state and local results are announced.

Polls were set to close at 6 p.m., but roughly a third remained open due to high voter turnout and machine problems earlier in the day. The first preliminary results will follow when all polls are closed.

— Nathan Eagle

Stocks Are Crashing At Prospect of Trump Win

Stock futures crashed on Tuesday night and the Mexican peso plunged by the most in two decades as Donald Trump’s odds of becoming president soared, sending shockwaves around the world, Politico reported:

Subdued But Not Giving Up On Hillary At Mayor’s HQ

6:05 P.M.

The mood is somewhat subdued at Kirk Caldwell campaign headquarters in the former Sports Authority at Ward Warehouse.

When CNN called California and Hawaii for Hillary Clinton, some yelped.

But, mostly, people are mildly stunned to think that Donald Trump could be the next president of the U.S.

And there is worry how that might matter down-ballot, as Caldwell is a prominent Democrat and Charles Djou is a Republican — albeit, in a nonpartisan race for mayor.

“It’s going to be a long night,” said one Caldwell supporter in a green campaign T-shirt.

Cue the pule.

—Chad Blair

Hirono Fears Trump, Says Clinton Can’t Go It Alone

4:25 p.m.

Just had a short chat with U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono outside of Honolulu Hale after she cast her ballot to discuss today’s election and how the results in the presidential race might affect Hawaii’s federal delegation going forward.

(You can watch a longer conversation with Hirono on Civil Beat’s Facebook page.)

Hirono said she hopes the delegation — which includes U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and, presumably, Colleen Hanabusa, who is favored to win Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District — will be able to tackle important issues such as increasing the minimum wage, making college more affordable and comprehensive immigration reform.

But Hirono says that will be nearly impossible if Republican Donald Trump becomes president over Hillary Clinton.

Any guesses on who @maziehirono voted for this election? #hivote #Elections2016 pic.twitter.com/aVds3c97So

— Nick Grube (@nickgrube) November 9, 2016

“I think a Trump presidency would interject a lot of uncertainty and instability into everything you can think of,” Hirono said. “Because as I’ve watched Donald Trump and his candidacy he has taken potshots at every minority group and he has said things like he knows more about ISIS than all of our generals.” “I happen to sit on both the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, and I would say that there is no way Donald Trump knows more about ISIS than our generals and our other people who pay attention to that part of the world.” Even if Clinton wins, Hirono concedes that the former secretary of state won’t have an easy path forward, especially if Democrats fail to take control of the Senate. The House, of course, is already controlled by Republicans and it’s highly unlikely that will change this election. If Congress remains as obstinate as it has been under President Barack Obama, that means citizens can expect more of the same. Gridlock. She can’t do it by herself,” Hirono said. “She’s going to need the Senate and the House to work with her because if we don’t take the Senate, I think she’s going to have a really hard time putting forth these kind of positive programs that will help everybody.” —Nick Grube

Late Money In Mayor’s Race

3:54 p.m.   Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell pulled in about $45,000 in the days leading up to Tuesday’s election. That compares to about $36,000 for Charles Djou, the challenger. In related news, two super PACs also continued to raise big bucks to spend on favored mayoral candidates. Exactly $5,000 each came from Ernest Languisan, Ernest Moritomo and former Gov. Ben Cayetano. Save Our City opposed Caldwell’s re-election, big league. Meanwhile, a super PAC opposing Djou, Workers for a Better Hawaii, brought in $50,000, thanks to the Hawaii AFL-CIO. The pro-Caldwell PAC also reported spending more than $300,000 grand in recent days, nearly all of it going to televisions and all those annoying mailers we’ve been receiving.   Read more here.   — Chad Blair

For Some Voters, It Was A Breeze

2:39 p.m. Long lines were not a problem at Jefferson Elementary School. In fact, Waikiki resident Carrie Johns said the whole process took her less than five minutes. At the same Waikiki polling place, Christina Justiniano had done her homework and was ready for the ballot, but wished there were better presidential candidates. Making a choice was easier in previous elections, she said. — Noelle Fujii

A Split Ticket And ‘Cheat Sheets’

2:22 p.m.   Call it a split ticket: Neil Wong voted for presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday at McKinley High School, while his wife Lisa voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. “There’s been lots of tension at the dinner table,” Neil said. “The world’s at a crossroads, and the status quo isn’t going to work.” Both Lisa and Neil expressed indifference toward this year’s Honolulu mayoral race. “It’s two guys, they’ve been on the ballot before,” Lisa said. “Different races, but still.” Both brought “cheat sheets” to tackle the 20 proposed Honolulu charter amendments. They said it took them 40 minutes to review the amendments at home, and about five to actually go in and vote.   — Natanya Friedheim

Neil Abercrombie: From Bernie To Hillary

1:53 p.m. Count former Gov. Neil Abercombie and his wife Nancie Caraway among the former Bernie Sanders supporters who are voting for Hillary Clinton.

“The other choice is apocalypse,” Caraway said. Caraway, who has a doctorate in political theory, said this year’s election was the “lowest point in modern American political culture.” She called Donald Trump’s “attack on women” unprecedented and frightening. Abercrombie said that after two decades in Congress, it was clear that issues of “racism, gender, income inequality” had only gotten worse. He said he admired Clinton’s poise, adding it’s “no small accomplishment” for her to overcome questions about her credibility. — Courtney Teague

Time To Complain

1:41 p.m. The auditorium at University High School in Manoa was packed with voters this afternoon. As they waited in long, winding lines to scan their ballots, voters complained about this year’s election and presidential candidates. Teresa McCain, a Republican who voted for Donald Trump and Charles Djou, said she’s sick of seeing negative ads for local and national campaigns. She said she’s “glad it’s over.” Still, “You don’t vote … you don’t get to gripe,” McCain said.   She supported Trump because of his conservative policies, and voted for Djou because the city needs change and the “runaway rail” project has gone too far. Noel Tau, a 10th-grade teacher who voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson for president, said she considered staying home but didn’t want to have to admit to her students that she didn’t vote. Tau was grateful for the long lines, which she said gave her a chance to look more carefully over the charter amendments. She said she supported Johnson’s positions on gun control, immigration and war, but wished he would’ve received more media coverage. As for the mayor’s race, Tau voted for incumbent Kirk Caldwell. Her son is a construction worker and she said she wants to see rail through so he can continue to work.   — Courtney Teague

Voting Delayed Due To Missing Ballot Boxes

1:15 p.m. When Ken Keast goes to vote at Kapunahala Elementary School, he can usually walk in at 7 a.m. and cast his ballot quickly at one of more than a dozen voting booths. Not this year. The 54-year-old real estate agent got to the Kaneohe polling place about 10 minutes early, but it didn’t open on time. Around 7:10 a.m., he asked what was wrong. With dozens of people waiting in line, the polling place was missing its ballot box. Nedielyn Bueno, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Office of Elections, said poll workers at Kapunahala Elementary couldn’t find the ballot box, known as an eScan machine. Kawananakoa Middle School, a polling site in Nuuanu-Punchbowl, was also missing a ballot box this morning. And while the polling place at McKinley Community School for Adults in Kakaako-Ala Moana had an eScan machine, it was missing its power cord.

Bueno said all three polling places experienced delays but the Elections Office sent troubleshooters to the schools to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. At Kapunahala Elementary, the problem was fixed within half an hour, she said. But during the delay, Keast said he noticed about half a dozen people leave the line he was in. From his perspective, the Kapunahala Elementary site appeared understaffed and had about half as many voting booths compared to previous years. (Bueno said the polling site is staffed on a volunteer basis, but said there’s no reason why there would be fewer booths compared with previous years.) Because Keast was in a hurry, he told a poll worker that he didn’t care whether he cast his ballot in a booth, he just needed to vote. He said at least 20 other people joined him in voting at a table to avoid waiting longer in line. Keast is a Hillary Clinton supporter who believes she would be more effective and better able to work with Congress than Donald Trump. But he’s disheartened by the apparent lack of organization at Hawaii polling places in light of the “ugly” tone of this election. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the election is “rigged.” “The fact that it occurred in this particular election is just concerning because of the situation that we’re in and the skepticism that people have,” Keast said. “The people who are responsible for this should have known…  and been even more cautious to make sure things were ready to go. — Anita Hofschneider

Exit Poll Finds Anxiety Over Trump

12:25 p.m. National exit polling is finding that voters are more anxious about a possible Donald Trump presidency than a Hillary Clinton presidency, according to Politico. It reported:

Friendly Reminder: Hawaii Is A State

12 p.m.   Some mainlanders may have missed the memo that Hawaii became a state in 1959. At least a few people are tweeting that if Donald Trump wins the presidential race against Hillary Clinton today, they are fleeing the country and moving to Hawaii.

If Trump becomes the president of Canada I’m moving to Hawaii bye North America ???? #Election2016 #ElectionDay — disc nuts (@Amphibilicious) November 8, 2016

#ElectionDay If Trump ? Wins The Election ???that’s it! I’m Moving ? Out Of The Country ✈️??? Goodbye???? America ??? Hello ???Hawaii??☀️?? — iB (@DWUW96) November 8, 2016

— Nathan Eagle

Ballot Scanning Problems Addressed

11:20 a.m.

The Hawaii Office of Elections said it sent troubleshooters to all Oahu precincts reporting problems with ballot scanners Tuesday morning. Spokesperson Nedielyn Bueno said problems were reported at no more than 10 polling sites on Oahu and that everything was “back to normal.”

Bueno said she had heard of similar problems on Maui but said she believed the same procedures were being followed.

The Elections Office acknowledged that there have been long lines at many precincts but, based on a sampling of registered voters in various districts, turnout was at around 10 percent so far. That’s on pace with 2014.

Polling sites should be sufficiently stocked with “security sleeves” to ensure ballot privacy concerns (the sleeve or covers resemble manila envelopes).

“I have not heard of a shortage,” she said.

As for reports that some voters were filling out ballots at tables rather than waiting for long lines to get into voting booths — Kailua Elementary is one example where that is reported to be happening — Bueno said that, as long as voters are comfortable filling out their ballots in the open, they may do so.

— Chad Blair

Missing Volunteers, Confusion Over Special Election

11:02 a.m.

It was early but we were already experiencing some slight hiccups at the William P. Jarrett Middle School polling place in the Palolo Valley.

Several volunteers failed to show up this morning, leaving poll workers shorthanded as they dished out ballots to prospective voters.

Combined with a lengthy ballot — there are 20 Honolulu charter amendment questions! — it’s caused some delays. There was a line out the cafeteria door as dozens of voters waited their turn to cast their votes.

Another issue faced by voters today: That darn special election for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District. It’s already caused confusion among some voters who were wondering why they have to vote twice for the same race.

Here’s a refresher: The special election, which includes 10 candidates, including former Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, is to fill out the remainder of U.S. Rep. Mark Takai’s term that ends Jan. 3. Takai died of pancreatic cancer over the summer.

But there’s also a race for who will represent the district, which includes Honolulu and urban Oahu, for the next two years after Jan. 3. That race only has four candidates: Hanabusa, Shirlene Ostrov, Alan Lim and Calvin Griffin.

— Nick Grube

Long Lines, Ballot Cover Shortage On Oahu

10:40 a.m.

As voting began Tuesday morning across the islands, there were reports of long lines and delays at some polling places, including ones in Waikele, Waihiawa, Kailua, Kaneohe and at Ala Wai Elementary School.

This despite the fact that 157,605 of Hawaii’s 750,000 or so registered voters had returned their mail ballots as of Friday, and 44,122 other people had taken advantage of the early voting opportunities.

A line of several dozen voters stretched around Ala Wai Elementary on Tuesday morning, in large part because the polling place only has one machine to scan in the ballots.

The line moved slowly but surely — 45 minutes or so for me from start to finish — but there was some confusion.

Election officials had voters completing their ballots in one of many available booths first, then waiting in line to submit them into the machine. Some voters stood in line first, assuming it was the line to get their ballot, only to be redirected to go get their ballot.

Another issue at the Ala Wai polling place was a shortage of ballot covers.

This caused voters to be holding their completed ballots out in the open while waiting in line. Some voters rolled theirs up to try to conceal who they voted for.

— Nathan Eagle

Controversies In North Carolina, Nevada

10: 30 a.m.

The presidential election seemed to be proceeding smoothly across most of the nation Tuesday (the earliest polls close at 2 p.m. Hawaii time), but there were exceptions.

In the battleground state of North Carolina, the Durham County Board of Elections requested that voting be extended in the county by 90 minutes after a glitch in the electronic voter check-in system required a switch to paper roll books and caused longer-than-expected wait times, CNN reported.

Thirty-seven percent of registered voters in Durham County are African-American.

In Nevada, meanwhile, a judge rejected a complaint from lawyers for the Donald Trump campaign against the Clark County registrar of voters over a decision they allege he made to keep polling locations open “two hours beyond the designated closing time.”

Their lawsuit targeted polling places in the greater Las Vegas area that have larger minority voting precincts. Trump lawyers are asking for an order that would require early vote ballots not to be “co-mingled or interspersed” with other ballots.

A spokesperson for the county told CNN that no early voting stations extended their closing times. They did, however, process voters who were in line at closing time.

— Richard Wiens