Stay updated on Hawaii and national elections coverage
2024 Hawaii & National Election Coverage

One of the questions the state Office of Elections and other voting officials has to answer is this: Why did so many people in a vote-by-mail state show up at the few Voter Service Centers on Election Day instead?

The throngs at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale kept everyone waiting until late Tuesday night for voting to finish and the first results to be released. It exposed a lot of people to coronavirus infection risk, too.

One pledge many would like to hear: More voting centers will be open next time.

Alan Wong’s goes dark

Alan Wong’s — the restaurant, with the apostrophe-S — is no more, but it’s heartening to hear that Alan Wong the chef is not leaving for good. Wong played a central role in the development of Pacific Rim cuisine and the elite dining-out scene.

Like so many aspects of island business — online meetings, telemedicine — dining establishments are having to reinvent themselves due to the pandemic. There’s reason to hope that restaurants like Wong’s will resurface in some new form, once the economy rebuilds.