Congratulations to Hawaii for doing the sensible thing and having voting on a weekend.

Absentees reported, 59% Akaka 41% Case.  Damn.

This night is over already.

This is the official results site, and in past year's I have watched the returns posted there shortly after they were announced on TV, so I would expect the same thing this year,  shortly. Definitely don't need to register to see the results, but obviously the SoS site didn't do a very good job of directing your here:

http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/ 2006/

Akaka(not Macaca) wins by 12 points.

I say it'll be closer, 46-54 Akaka wins.  Case, because he didn't run a negative campaign, becomes a solid candidate for Inoye's seat or Akaka's if either is incapable to serve.

Case is quoted in the Honolulu Advertiser as saying he will support the winner of the primary.  That's usual but a big improvement over Lieberman.  The vote shown as a portion of the early returns is, I think, nearly all of them: 94,000 cast and 10% of those are said to be spoiled.

Re Case's statement, he actually made an oddly concessional speech before the initial returns had even come in. I think he knows this wasn't going to be that close, and though I don't like his policies, I note the huge difference from Lieberman.

Re the spoiled ballots, the first return was just absentee, and unfortunately I think the problem was voters who try to vote in more than one party election. In the partisan races (county elections are nonpartisan), you have to pick a party, each having a different color on the ballot, and vote only for that party. if you vote in more than one party primary, the ballot is spoiled. It says that on the ballot but it isn't totally obvious and you really have to read the instructions. I think it should be much more strongly indicated on the ballot itself so people don't make the mistake.

BTW, here's the first printout (PDF)

http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/ 2006/primary/pdf/histatewide.pdf