A Couple Embarrasing Articles
Not Surprising Low Voter Turnout
It's a sad thing when it doesn't come as a surprise that Hawai'i's voter participation is once again embarrassingly deficient. What can we do to change this? Share your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment as to how we can provide solutions to this problem. Or message us via Twitter and Facebook.
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Another Low Voter Turnout
Rick Hamada, Midweek
It’s as predictable as the sun rising in the morning that Hawaii voters are anemic in their participation in our political system. The 1st Congressional District special election garnered another embarrassing turnout percentage and one has to scratch one’s head and again ask why.
As of this writing, the state Office of Elections reports that a paltry 46 percent of ballots have been returned with literally hours remaining before the election deadline. How deflating.
What’s missing here? The race is for a federal office, a congressional representative and features three prominent political names as the front runners. The casting of votes is done by mail and voters have had weeks to send in their ballot or go in person to Honolulu Hale.
Can this get any easier? Is it now too much to ask to go to the mailbox, open the envelope, darken one square next to a candidate’s name and put it back in the mailbox? Sheesh.
This race has two big-name Democrats in former U.S. Rep. Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa. Interestingly, these two are about as different Democrats as you will find within their party. The two camps truly have a separate supporter base. With the Democrat membership far outpacing the GOP, wouldn’t you think that Democrats would be coming out in droves to select their favorite? I guess not.
There have been at least three televised debates, radio forums and front-page pieces in the daily papers. Political advertisements have run ad nauseum. There has even been a bit of controversy to keep the race top of mind during water cooler discussions. It’s not like nobody knows about this special election, so why the manini numbers?
It’s not like this race isn’t fraught with issues. The referendum on the Obama administration, our economic condition, illegal immigration and environmental policy are topics not simply reserved for the media. Folks are talking about this around the dinner table, in business meetings and at keiki first birthdays. You would think most of us would want a voice in Congress to articulate our positions then reinforce the electorate’s desires in Washington, D.C. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hamada, Rick. "Another Low Voter Turnout | A Conservative Estimate | Midweek.com." Hawaii's Favorite Newspaper | Hawaii News | Midweek.com. 26 May 2010. Web. 28 May 2010.
Conservative pundits, analysts and radio hosts have been declaring the incredible impact a Djou win would mean to the Republican Revolution of 2010. They cite that Hawaii is a Democrat-dominated state, that Djou would be a representative from President Obama’s district and that if Hawaii can go red, the rest of the nation can, too.
The flip side is, what if he loses? The benefits of a win to the GOP cause would be substantial, but a loss would be equally, if not more impacting. All the talk about this being a historic election can work both ways.
I honestly don’t care for whom you vote. I am hopeful that you are voting. If not, please do so in the future. If you are voting, influence your circle of 10 so that they will vote.
We accept mediocrity in so many areas of government. We cannot afford to do so at the ballot box.
Voter Turnout Must Rise
Editorial, Star Bulletin
Saturday's special election for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District has garnered a huge amount of attention. The stakes are high: for the candidates, their political parties, Hawaii residents and even the Obama administration, given the national attention this race has drawn."Voter Turnout Must Rise - Hawaii Editorials - Starbulletin.com." Hawaii News - Starbulletin.com. Ed. Honolulu Star Bulletin. 19 May 2010. Web. 28 May 2010.
There's been continual coverage by Hawaii's print, television, radio and online media. There have been televised debates, as well as more intimate candidate forums, talk story sessions, door-to-door appeals. Newspapers have made endorsements, as have politicians and an array of union, community and business groups. The promotional blitz is ubiquitous, via mailers, automated telephone calls, sign-waving and advertising in all available media.
In short, you'd have to be actively avoiding any awareness of current events to live in this urban Oahu district and not know that Republican Charles Djou and Democrats Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa are the leading contenders to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by Democrat Neil Abercrombie's resignation to run for Hawaii governor — and about how they would act on a variety of issues.
And yet, despite all this attention, less than half of all ballots had been returned as of yesterday. Hawaii's Office of Elections has received about 137,000 of the ballots it sent to the district's 317,337 registered voters, for a return rate so far of about 43 percent.
That's better than usual, no doubt, reflecting not only the ease of voting by mail, but also avid interest in this particular contest.
Only 13.3 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the last congressional special election, the 2002 District 2 race to replace the late Patsy Mink. But that count — only about 46,000 votes cast out of nearly 348,000 potential ones — was downright apathetic. Beating it by a mile is no great feat.
So while we acknowledge that the all-mail election has made it easier for voters to participate, and we laud that increased participation, we also hope that turnout rises even higher. More than 180,000 ballots are outstanding. Anyone holding a ballot should mail it today.
This race is not over, and the stakes could not be higher.
Case and Hanabusa each insist they can still win, but for the split Democratic Party, it's as much about the margins as the outcome now. A GOP victory would have less impact, locally and nationally, if the Democrats' combined tally signals a decisive victory for the sole Democrat who would again face Djou in November's general election for the same seat.
The stakes are high for Hawaii Republicans, too. Several polls show Djou well ahead, and he raised expectations by indicating he has the race pretty much sewed up. A narrow win would deflate the GOP's high hopes that Djou is more than a temporary hindrance to the Democrats. And an exceptionally strong finish would signal big trouble for Hawaii's long-dominant party, given that every powerful Democrat from Daniel K. Inouye on down has put clout on the line in this race.
There has been no shortage of information about the leading candidates in this election. And there is no excuse not to vote.
