Election volunteering still an option

It’s Election Day, and with same-day registration, there’s no excuse for not showing up at the polls. And it’s not even too late to volunteer to help at the precincts. The state Office of Elections reports that it’s gotten its positions filled, but added that there are always last-minute cancellations.

So any time after 6 a.m. today, someone with an extra-healthy sense of civic duty can call 453-VOTE (8683) and be on-call to fill in for any openings. The office waives the usual training session requirement — training’s done on the spot. But don’t forget to vote. That’s the primary objective.

State keeps track of e-cigarette retailers

Retailers selling electronic cigarettes are now required to register with the state’s just-established Electronic Smoking Device Retailer Registration Unit. That’s a provision of a new law, which also rightly declares that sales of e-cig products is a statewide concern.

The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released last week, reported that 13 percent of students nationwide had used an e-cig product during the 30 days before taking part in the survey. In Hawaii, it’s 25 percent — even though the legal age for a vape-related purchase is 21.