Hawaiian vote has
‘potential power’

A record number of Hawaiians
have registered to
vote in November

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

Motivated by local as well as statewide issues, a record number of Hawaiians has registered to vote in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs election Nov. 3, a sign the native vote can no longer be taken lightly by politicians.

OHA officials say up to 98,000 Hawaiians have registered to vote so far, with the final figure expected to exceed the 100,000 mark for the first time since Hawaiians began voting for trustees to the OHA board in 1980.

In 1994, 75,766 Hawaiians registered to vote, with the number growing to 87,298 two years ago. Jalna Keala, OHA government affairs officer, thinks this year's total will be well over 100,000 once voter registration closes on Monday.

If so, it would mean one out of every three Hawaiians would be registered to vote, based on a Hawaiian population of 300,000 as tracked by health agencies. Federal census data puts that figure at 250,000 Hawaiians, she said.

"If we could only get Hawaiians to realize they have a huge, huge number of voters out there, and that's potential power, pretty soon all the politicians will be coming to Hawaiian areas to ask for their vote," Keala said this week.

Keala and others cite the governor's race, native issues -- such as gathering rights, homestead claims and a ballot question on whether to hold a state Constitutional Convention -- as well as county issues as reasons why native people are taking to the polls.

While OHA for years has actively registered voters for its election, it is being assisted this year by Native Vote '98, a statewide effort sponsored by the 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, a Hawaiian-culture umbrella group, as a project of Ka Lahui Hawaii.

Lehua Kinilau, Oahu coordinator for Native Vote and a third-

year student at the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law, said the program is modeled after efforts by Alaskan natives and American Indians to register natives, get them to vote and inform them of the choices.

Hawaiians, she added, took the effort a step further by compiling a legislative report card for voters so they can see how incumbent state lawmakers voted on Hawaiian issues this year. Letter grades were given for votes on gathering rights, ceded-land revenues, environmental issues, wardship, Hawaiian Home Lands, the Con-Con, Hawaiian language, and education and health.

The gubernatorial race between Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano and Republican Maui Mayor Linda Lingle is also attracting Hawaiians, she said.

"So it's a broad range of all the issues that's in the report card, really," Kinilau said.

"Its hard to say what's No. 1, it really depends on where you are. If you're on the homestead, homestead issues probably prevail; if you're talking to immersion schools and parents, then it's that issue."

Kinilau said Hawaiians are being urged to vote out incumbents with poor grades. In this month's primary, state Sens. Malama Solomon (D, North Hilo) and Rosalyn Baker (D, West-Maui) both lost their elections, and both had been given an "F" grade on all native issues by the group.

Healani Waiwaiole, Kauai organizer for Native Vote, said local issues drawing voters include whether Kauai's Hanalei Estuary should be used for commercial boating. The issue has pushed many Hawaiians to attend county meetings and to register to vote.

Waiwaiole said people are taking note of those vying for positions of authority in this year's county elections. And she agrees a Hawaiian voting bloc could have altered the outcome of some races in the 1996 elections.

"If you look at the result of the last election, some of the races were very, very close," she said. "And if you look at how many Hawaiian registered voters there were in that area, they've done this comparison where in several areas they definitely would have made a difference, a tremendous difference."

For OHA, one big issue is the ballot question on a Con-Con. OHA leaders fear voter approval to review the Hawaii State Constitution may lead to changes that will affect gains on native issues OHA has made over the past 20 years.

Thirty-eight people have signed up to run for five of nine seats on the OHA board. To be eligible to vote for OHA candidates, a person must be a resident over the age of 18, and sign an affidavit saying he or she is Hawaiian.

Meanwhile, Ken Hashimoto of the city clerk's office urges every Hawaii resident over the age of 18 to register to vote in the general election by Monday's deadline.

Hashimoto said those who have moved or changed their name or their mailing address since the 1996 election should re-register before Nov. 3 to avoid delays at the precincts.

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January 97 OHA Ceded Lands Ruling