( CNN ) -- Sigh . For the last month , I 've been telling you about politics in Hawaii , the state that had the lowest voter turnout rate in the nation four years ago . The goal of me typing and typing and typing about the state 's voters was the hope that CNN could start a conversation that maybe -- just maybe -- would lead to the state magically bouncing out of last place . It 's now the morning after Election Day . And while it 's still unclear whether Hawaii will finish last place for voting , preliminary estimates do offer a ray of hope . According to Michael McDonald , an election results guru at George Mason University , Hawaii likely will slip past West Virginia , handing over the title of the `` state that does n't vote . '' It feels too early and too odd to celebrate , though , especially given the calamity that ensued in Hawaii on Tuesday . I 'll get to that soon . First , let 's look at the numbers . Nationally , voter turnout was down compared to the 2008 presidential election -- with something like 60 % of the nation 's eligible voters casting ballots for president this year , McDonald said , compared to 62 % four years ago . You could argue several reasons why that 's the case , from Superstorm Sandy , which depressed turnout in the northeast , to lower-than-expected enthusiasm among Republicans . Not all of the ballots have been counted , but based on projections from McDonald , Hawaii 's turnout rate may land in the ballpark of 46.9 % . He expects West Virginia 's turnout to be slightly lower , at 46.1 % . `` It really is a race to the bottom right now , '' he said . `` We would be in a recount situation if this were a presidential election , '' he said by phone on Wednesday morning . `` It 's close enough we need to wait to see what the final reports are , but in this case Hawaii has sort of staked out a lead here and it would be unlikely for West Virginia to come from behind . But it 's possible . '' Voter turnout rates in both states sunk compared to 2008 , when 48.8 % of eligible people in Hawaii voted in the presidential race , and 49.9 % of people in West Virginia did . It 's too easy to strike up those low turnout rates to apathy . A story headlined `` Hawaii voter turnout drops even lower '' on the Honolulu news site Civil Beat suggested that voters in the Aloha State are too checked-out to care . `` Hot races including a tight contest involving our own homegrown presidential contender could n't shake Hawaii voters ' continued apathy toward elections , '' wrote Alia Wong . I can see where she 's coming from . But I think the assessment that Hawaii 's ( or West Virginia 's ) voter turnout rate is attributable simply to apathy is at best , reductive . At worst , offensive . Superstorm Sandy pummeled West Virginia one week ago , no doubt decreasing the likelihood that people would trudge out to the polls . And in Hawaii , as Wong goes on to explain , several polling places ran out of ballots , leaving long lines of voters to wait for elections officials to bring in electronic voting machines . Wong references an official from Hawaii 's Green Party who says , in her words , the ballot shortage `` deterred hundreds of people from casting their ballots . '' That should infuriate any American , especially since similar issues reportedly plagued voters in other states on Tuesday . `` We can appreciate that people lose patience with the process , and we 're very sorry it occurred , '' a spokesman for Hawaii 's election office told Civil Beat . I 'm going to pretend it 's Election Day 2000 and settle into a wait-and-see mode before I give any kind of final-seeming assessment of voter turnout in Hawaii . For one , ballots are still being counted , particularly those sent by mail . I also want to talk to people in the state about what happened at the polls -- why , exactly , some precincts ran out of ballots , and what people there think about the situation . McDonald , the voting guru , expects Hawaii to hop out of last place despite the fact that its turnout , like that for the rest of the country , declined . `` Woohoo , '' he said , sarcastically . Given polling place issues in the state and the fact that there are potentially hundreds of disenfranchised voters on the island of Oahu , it 's hard for me to summon much enthusiasm , either . Still , and no matter the outcome , I 'm immensely proud of nonpartisan groups like Kanu Hawaii that go door to door in low-voting areas and encourage people to cast ballots . They 're the ones who are going to change attitudes toward voting in Hawaii . And in the long term , they 're the ones who will change the list .
Hawaii may rank 49th for voter turnout this year ; instead of 50th . Professor : Hawaii and West Virginia are `` dukeing it out '' for last place . CNN 's Change the List has been trying to start a conversation about Hawaii 's low turnout . Several polling places in Hawaii ran out of ballots , according to news reports .