Perhaps this intolerably long and depressingly combative election will have an upside on our state’s miserable voter turnout record.

There’s something appealing about rushing out to early-voting stations as a defensive strategy. Cast the ballot, and then tell the pollster on the phone to go away, you’ve already voted. It’s one way to put the election in the rear-view mirror ASAP. Aloha, Campaign 2016.

Don’t forget: The ’20 presidential election is not even 1,500 days away.

Hiring for the toughest jobs in Hawaii

Two of the most important leadership positions in Hawaii won’t be filled by voters. The interim executive director of the rail transit system, Krishniah Murthy, was chosen by the rail board Thursday. The state Board of Education, meanwhile, will seek a replacement for superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. Can there be jobs more difficult in Hawaii — or thankless — than heading up rail and public education? Probably not.