The 2022 primary election is here, Saturday, Aug. 13.

There have been 112,761 ballots issued to Hawai’i County voters this year, and according to the Office of the County Clerk Elections Division website, as of 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, there have been 29,561 ballots returned. The counts are updated at the end of each workday.

As a comparison, by July 31, 2020, the office had already received 34,467 ballots for that year’s primary election.

The county elections office advises that voters sending their ballots back in the mail should have done so before Tuesday, Aug. 9, to be sure they are counted. However, ballot drop boxes are available at several locations around the island to return ballots for the primary after Tuesday.

Drop boxes can be found at the Waimea Police Station, Rodney Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook, Pāhoa Police Station, Nāʻālehu Police Station, West Hawaiʻi Civic Center in Kailua-Kona, Hilo County Building, North Kohala Police Station, Laupāhoehoe Police Station and Waikōloa Village Association.

In addition to the drop boxes, ballots also can be brought to voter service centers at the Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo and in Building G at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center in Kona.

“Voted ballots must be received by the County of Hawai’i Elections Division by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted,” the elections office website says.

Voters can even track their ballot by clicking here.

For a map of ballot drop box and voter service center locations, click here.

Other services provided at the voter service centers include voting machine services for people with special needs and all voting services as provided by law. Voters who missed the Aug. 3 voter registration deadline for this year’s primary or and anyone who still needs to register to vote can do so and cast their ballots in person at a voter service center.

The centers are open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Friday and will be open until 7 p.m. on Election Day this Saturday.

For more information about how to register to vote, click here.

The state Office of Elections operates counting centers with which the neighbor islands assist. Ballot counting started Aug. 2 on the Big Island, according to the county. Election results will be reported by the state.

Voters can rest assured that as long as they return their ballots on time or vote in person at one of the voter service centers on election day, their voices will be heard. A team of elections officials and others are making sure that happens.

“It takes a community to conduct an election,” the county elections office told Big Island Now in an email. “This includes full-time workers, contract workers, seasonal hires and volunteers.”

For more information about how to vote or for any questions, call the Elections Division at 808-961-8277.

Here is a list of candidates running in this year’s elections (Note: Some candidates will only appear on the general election ballot in November, depending on how many filed in each race):

Hawai‘i County Council

District 1

• Heather Kimball, incumbent
• Troy Martinez

District 2

• Maurice Goulding
• William Halversen
• Jennifer Kagiwada
• Matthias Kusch
• Timothy Wehrsig

District 3

• Darcy Alameda
• Sue Lee Loy, incumbent

District 4

• Ashley Kierkiewicz, incumbent
• Gregory Lum Ho Jr.

District 5

• Desmon Haumea
• Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder, incumbent

District 6

• Colehour Bondera
• Henry Cho III
• Michelle Galimba
• Shane Palacat-Nelsen

District 7

• Rebecca Villegas, incumbent

District 8

• Lee-Ann Heely
• Holeka Goro Inaba, incumbent

District 9

• Jeff Coakley
• Cindy Evans
• Chr Toafili

Hawai‘i Island state Senate seats

District 1

Democrats

• Laura Acasio, incumbent
• Lorraine Inouye
• Wil Okabe

Republican

• Helen Tupai

District 2

Democrat

• Joy San Buenaventura, incumbent

Republicans

• Dianne Hensley
• Holly Osborn

Libertarian

• Frederick Fogel

District 3

Democrat

• Dru Kanuha, incumbent

District 4

Democrat

• Tim Richard (current Hawai‘i County Council District 9 representative)

Republican

• Nicholas Tancheff

Hawai‘i Island state House seats

District 1

Democrat

• Mark Nakashima, incumbent

District 2

Democrat

• Richard Onishi, incumbent

District 3

Democrats

• Shannon Matson
• Chris Todd, incumbent

Aloha Aina Party

• Devinshaw McMackin Sr.

District 4

Democrat

• Greggor Ilagan, incumbent

Republican

• Keikilani Ho

Libertarian

• Candace Linton

Nonpartisan

• Brian Ley

District 5

Democrat

• Jeanne Kapela, incumbent

Republican

• Lohi Goodwin

Libertarian

• Michael Last

District 6

Democrats

• Ilya Barannikov
• Kirstin Kahaloa
• Lono Mack

Republican

• Jonathan Kennealy

District 7

Democrat

• Nicole Lowen, incumbent

District 8

Democrats

• Makai Freitas
• David Tarnas, incumbent

Republican

• Monique CobbAdams Perreira

Governor

Democrats

• David Bourgoin
• Vicky Cayetano
• Josh Green (current lieutenant governor)
• Kai Kahele (current District 2 U.S. congressman)
• Richard Kim
• Clyde McClain
• Van Tanabe

Republicans

• Duke Aiona
• Gary Cordery
• George Hawat
• Keline Kahau
• Lynn Mariano
• Paul Morgan
• Moses Paskowitz
• BJ Penn
• Heidi Tsuneyoshi
• Walter Woods

Nonpartisans

• Caleb Nazara
• Keleionalani Taylor

Lieutenant Governor

Democrats

• Keith Amemiya
• Ikaika Anderson
• Daniel Cunningham
• Sylvia Luke
• Sherry Menor-McNamara
• Sam Puletasi

Republicans

• Rob Burns
• Tae Kim
• Seaula Tupai Jr.

Nonpartisan

• Charles Keoho

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawai‘i Island trustee

• Hope Cermelj
• Mililani Trask, incumbent

Office of Hawaiian Affairs at-large trustee (two seats)

• Lei Ahu Isa, incumbent
• Z. Kaapana Aki
• Julian Ako
• Brickwood Galuteria
• U‘i Kahue-Cabanting
• Sam King
• Kealii Makekau
• Chad Owens
• William Paik
• Keoni Souza
• John Waihee IV, incumbent

U.S. Senator

Democrats

• Brian Schatz, incumbent
• Steve Tataii

Republicans

• Steven Bond
• Wallyn Christian
• Asia Lavonne
• Bob McDermott

Libertarian

• Feena Bonoan

Green Party

• Emma Jane Pohlman

Aloha Aina Party

• Dan Decker

U.S. Congressional District 2

Democrats

• Patrick Branco
• Nicole Gi
• Brendan Schultz
• Steven Sparks
• Jill Tokuda
• Kyle Yoshida

Republicans

• Joe Akana
• Joseph Webster

Libertarian

• Michelle Tippens

For more information about this year’s primary matchups, click here.