Why can't the mail-in ballots be honored as long as it is postmarked by that date?

News are warning that mail-ins might be too late and are offering other ways to get in your vote.  I mailed mine on Tuesday and on Wednesday they were saying we might be cutting it too close.

I was just wondering.  I think this mail-in requirement is full of shiite.  As long as it is postmarked by the 13th it should be honored.

But then again maybe I'm full of shiite.

Before mail-in I was a in-person kind of voting guy.

local incumbent Dems shifting goalposts...its going to be like Georgia!

You can use a drop-off ballot box.  They have the same deadline as mail-in, only without the fear of it arriving late:
https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/

The primary drop-box cut-off is Aug 13th at 7PM.  That's this Saturday, the actual Primary Election Polling Day.

As for the "why" question, the idea is that votes need to be counted as soon after the polls are closed as possible.  How long should we wait to include late mail-ins?  They could take a week if the envelope is damaged, has insufficient postage, gets misrouted, etc.  If we decide 3 days after the polls close for mail-ins postmarked by 7PM Saturday, what about the ones that arrive in 4, 5, or 6 days after? 

There needs to be a deadline of some sort, and giving someone time to submit a ballot past the 7PM poll closing deadline gets too complicated.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!   

Vote Early & Vote Often!