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Voter poll says
economy top issue;
candidates say
education first

Primary Election 2000

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By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

WHEN Christina Bartolome of Ewa Beach casts her votes in this Saturday's state primary elections, she's hoping her political choices will do something to improve what she sees as a stagnant state economy.

"It's a stretch now, going through bills every day as the gas prices increase and the cost for groceries increase ... There's always a concern," said the public school teacher, who is on leave to raise her new baby.

About 29 percent of Oahu registered voters who participated in a Star-Bulletin poll earlier this month rated the state's economy as the top issue in determining their votes in the primary election.

It was followed by the qualifications of candidates, the integrity of candidates, taxes, government spending, traffic and crime.

Employers required to give time off for voting State law requires workers to have two consecutive hours off on Election Day in order to vote. If a voter works from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the voter is entitled to two hours off from work. If a voter works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the voter is entitled to one hour off from work. If a voter has two hours before or after a shift to vote, the worker is not entitled to time off. Lunch hours are not counted as part of allowable time off to vote. Voters should make arrangements with their employers for time off and must keep their ballot stubs as proof of voting. Penalties of up to $300 can be levied for violations of the law. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m . Saturday for the primary election, and on Nov. 3 for the general election.

The views of these voters, however, are not in sync with what candidates say are the top issues this primary election.

Most of the candidates who responded to Star-Bulletin questionnaires rated education as the priority issue, followed by the economy, health care, crime and the environment.

Other issues raised by candidates were government efficiency, traffic, taxes and political reform.

"I have children in public school and am alarmed that science textbooks are more than 5 years old. With advances in science occurring every day, we must have current books," said Casey K. Choi, a Democrat who faces an uphill battle Saturday against incumbent Rep. Brian Schatz (D- Makiki).

Republican candidate Fred Hemmings, who is running against incumbent Whitney Anderson (R-Kailua) in the primary, said education, economy and the environment are the top issues to address.

"Most of Hawaii's problems are politically induced, (and) so must be the solutions," Hemmings said. "The incumbent political dynasty has demonstrated that they are the source of Hawaii's problems."

Up for grabs this primary are the partisan races for the entire state House, half the state Senate and three of the four seats held by Hawaii's U.S. congressional delegation. Also at stake are Board of Education seats, as well as the nonpartisan Oahu mayor's race and the partisan Hawaii mayor's race.

The disparity among top issues between voters and candidates isn't lost on poll respondent Bob McCaig of Poipu, Kauai. The retired businessman believes the qualifications and integrity of candidates, which he considers the most important voting issue, has a lot to do with good county and state government.

If elected officials are good, honest people concerned with what's best for Hawaii and not for their special interest groups, then a good economy will follow, he said.

"I think if they were a good representative of the people, the economy would benefit from it, whether they were Democrats or Republicans," McCaig said.

Ewa Beach resident Kim Yoshiyama, a medical assistant, said she plans to vote for people whose priority is education. No matter how good or bad the economy, she said the state's first obligation is to its children.

"Kids are the future," Yoshiyama said. "You need to give them a good education, even though the economy is still not picking up over here."

Waianae House candidate Momi Kamahele, a member of the Aloha 'Aina Party, a new political party formed this year, said education is her priority and wants to provide more resources to strengthen elementary and secondary programs.

Another House candidate, Democrat Jason Iwai, said Hawaii's youth do not have the necessary skills and education to get better-paying jobs. Iwai takes on House Majority Leader Ed Case (D-Manoa) for the Democratic bid.

"There are many jobs in computers, which are being filled by persons from Japan, the Philippines, etc. because we lack the education and training," Iwai said.

There were 582,558 statewide registered voters in the 1998 primary elections. About 50 percent, or 291,069, turned out to vote.

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Voter Turnout Hawaii's voter turnout has been declining since 1959, when 84% of registered voters hit the polls. Year Registered voters statewide Turnout Pct. 1998 582,558 291,069 50.0% 1996 531,892 275,548 51.8% 1994 468,739 309,700 66.1% 1992 432,723 251,569 58.1% 1990 436,323 276,412 63.4% 1988 419,411 275,673 65.7% 1986 398,197 281,352 70.7% 1984 398,858 221,957 55.6% 1982 385,307 272,688 70.8% 1980 384,858 264,041 68.6% 1978 387,673 289,029 74.6% 1976 353,249 251,457 71.2% 1974 333,527 235,982 70.8% 1972 326,906 203,160 62.1% 1970 282,470 202,401 71.7% 1968 265,253 166,271 62.7% 1966 245,307 167,526 68.3% 1964 228,230 156,324 68.5% 1962 212,861 172,401 81.0% 1960 190,504 139,049 73.0% 1959 174,335 147,078 84.4% Source: State Elections Office