The trajectory of election season in Hawai'i is changing, and changing fast.

There was a time when everyone said election season didn't really go into high gear until after Labor Day, this year Sept. 4.

Hah!

By Sept. 4, our election will already be under way. Not just campaigning, mind you, but actual voting.

It's all about the steady surge in absentee voting. Several years ago, officials liberalized the rules so that one no longer has to have a specific "reason" for voting absentee.

This has led to a dramatic increase in the percentage of voters who choose absentee ballots, with no sign that the pace is going to slow down any time soon.

According to staff writer Johnny Brannon, less than 10 percent of the vote was absentee in 1992. By 2004, nearly a third of the vote was cast outside of regular election-day polling. Expect even higher numbers this time around.

In part, this is due to active efforts by officials to make the absentee option available. Applications for absentee ballots have already gone out, and the actual ballots will go out late this month (the exact date depends on which county you live in). As soon as you get the ballot, you can mail it in.

This is bound to have a dramatic impact on how campaigns are conducted. Smart campaigns will put money and effort into "locking in" votes by pushing for an early absentee ballot.

Strategists who previously depended on last-minute advertising blitzes or publicity stunts will have to rethink their plans. What's the point of a big last-minute push if a substantial percentage of the people have already voted?

It used to be that a candidate had to be careful not to "peak too soon" — that is, you want to hit your maximum strength on election day.

Now, the theory might be that you lose if you "peak too late."

Ideally, easy absentee voting should help push up Ha-wai'i's rather dismal voter participation numbers. Voters can cast ballots whenever they want, from the comfort of their homes, rather than taking time out on a busy Saturday or workday Tuesday (for the general election) to battle lines at the polling station.

That's good.

But the downside is that increasing percentages of votes will be cast without a complete picture of the candidates and their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, anyone voting early in the heavily contested 2nd Congressional District race will be largely going on name recognition.

It is going to take every day and hour of this election cycle to fully sort out the differences in this important race.

Smart voters might want to get their absentee ballots, but then hang on to them until as close as possible to the Sept. 23 primary or Nov. 7 general.

That way, you get all the comfort and convenience of voting by mail, but you don't miss out on the fun and last-minute antics that seem to crop up in almost every election around here.

Reach Jerry Burris at jburris@honoluluadvertiser.com. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.