On Election Day, this new tool helped speed up Hawaii’s delivery of voting results

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - New technology used on Election Day helped deliver voting results from more remote areas within minutes.

The state Elections Office launched the Remote Rally system for the first time Tuesday and said it worked.

The technology allowed results to transmit “directly to the county center,” said Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago.

In previous elections, after the polls closed, ballots from Molokai and Lanai had to be flown to Maui to be processed. And on Hawaii Island, the ballots had to be driven from Kona to Hilo, where the service center is located.

All this used to delay results for those counties on election night.

But on Tuesday, the state was able to bypass that process.

State Sen. Lynn Decoite, who represents Molokai, Lanai, and parts of Maui, welcomed the technology.

“I love to see the results faster, like everybody else,” she said. “As long as the accuracy is there, I don’t see why not.”

The ballots were still flown or driven to the service centers to be secured.

That ensures the ballots are there if needed. The state Elections Office said they plan on using Remote Rally moving forward and could expand the service if pop-up voting places are open on Election Day.

Copyright 2022 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.