Primary Election Day “chaos” on the Big Island, with as many as 25 of 40 polling places opening late, the County Clerk ducking reporters, and election staffers taking sick leave from the “dysfunctional” office. State elections officials are investigating. Andy Smith, a Republican who helped coordinate poll watchers in virtually all of the Big Island polling locations, said the volunteer workers were “wonderful” and the problems, which ranged from no paper ballots or blue privacy shields on site, to no electronic voting machines, were not their fault. He said poll workers were not trained properly, and in some cases, told voters to leave polling places if they could not find their name in the voting rolls… In addition, poll workers and watchers who had already voted by absentee noticed their names did not have an “AB” listed next to them as they should have to prevent absentee voters from voting twice – once by mail and once in the polls. Problems in the Hawaii County Elections Division were apparent in July, prompting a letter from the state’s Chief Election Officer calling the County Clerk’s actions “unacceptable”.