Hawai'i ballots for the state's Sept. 20 primary election contain the correct names, even though they were printed before the eligibility of two candidates was resolved, said Chief Election Officer Kevin Cronin on Tuesday.

The ballots still have not been made available for review by Hawai'i's political parties, as required by law before they're printed. Instead, copies of the ballots are being mailed to the parties, Cronin said.

"There's no problem with the ballots from my point of view," Cronin said. "All the names of the candidates have been proofed diligently by our staff who worked over several days."

Cronin sent the ballots to the printing press Wednesday, before rulings that Isaac Choy was eligible to run for the Manoa House seat being vacated by House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, who was disqualified from running for Honolulu City Council.

Choy's name is on the ballot, and Caldwell's is not.

"I don't understand how they can print these things without having had a review," said Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Willes Lee. "It is infuriating, and I'm sure the Democrats are feeling the same way."

Hawai'i prohibits write-in voting.

Cronin ruled Thursday that Choy, a Democrat, could run as a replacement candidate after the previous candidate, Chrystn Eads, was disqualified for failing to get the required number of signatures before the July 22 filing deadline. He's running against Republican Jeri Jeffryes.

Absent from the ballot is Caldwell's name, whose candidacy was voided by the Honolulu city clerk Friday because he didn't withdraw from the House race until the day after the filing deadline. State law prohibits candidates from running in two races at the same time.

Caldwell's name was left off the ballot because county council races with two or fewer candidates aren't voted on until the Nov. 4 general election, Cronin said. The only remaining candidate for that seat is former City Councilman Duke Bainum.

The embattled elections chief, who earns $94,795 a year, has been criticized for the confusion surrounding the candidate filing deadline and for failing to register to vote until July 25, a requirement of the job he was hired for in February. The state Elections Commission gave Cronin its "continued support" last week.

Cronin said last week he had to hurry to print the ballots so they'd be ready for absentee voting and the primary election. He also said questions about the accuracy of the ballots would be worked out, and apparently they have.

Democrats have complained about the lack of transparency from the state so far this election year.

"They haven't communicated with us," said Florence Kong Kee, Hawai'i Democratic Party political director. "I don't know what's going on."

Any further appeals to candidacies or ballot printing would have to be resolved by the courts, Cronin said. No legal challenges have been filed.

"I don't understand the attitude of indifference to the law, and I'm a little surprised no one has filed challenges," Lee said.

Hawai'i will use new paper eScan and electronic eSlate voting machines this fall under a $43.4 million contract with Hart InterCivic. That contract is being challenged by Election Systems & Software, which submitted an $18.1 million bid.

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Hawaii Office of Elections: http://hawaii.gov/elections