Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
THE low voter turnout in the primary election is the surest sign yet that our state's body politic is broken. And it's not just the politicians who are at fault. Our excuses for failing to perform the simplest act of citizenship ring hollow. What’s your excuse
for not voting?A thriving democracy requires that we all take part. But despite our big talk about building a better Hawaii, it seems most of us just don't care enough to take personal responsibility for our state's future.
Barely 41 percent of registered voters cast ballots in last Saturday's election, the worst showing since statehood. To put that sorry number into perspective, let's look at the mayor's race.
By any measure, Jeremy Harris won re-election in a landslide. He received more than 50 percent of votes cast, enough to keep his job without a runoff in the general election. He beat his nearest opponent by 15 percentage points and nearly 30,000 votes.
But to win 50 percent of the votes with 40-percent turnout means that only 20 percent of registered voters cast ballots for Harris. Throw in the tens of thousands of eligible voters who didn't even bother to register and the number of eligible voters who personally voted for Harris drops to the mid-teens. In our indifference, a relative handful of voters can make a landslide.
The most galling thing is that some of the loudest complaints about how the mayor does his job will come from that vast majority who stayed home.
One excuse for not voting was that there were no exciting races in the primary. Since when do we need excitement to do our duty as citizens? Would it take 40 years under the boot of a tyrant with a big gun to get us excited about the right to elect our own leaders?
Nonvoters complain that their votes don't matter -- that the same people keep getting elected because of powerful special interests. Staying home is the dumbest response to that. Low turnout only gives more power to special-interest groups that can get their own voters to the polls.
Confusing ballots draw blame for discouraging voters, another poor excuse. We have a long history of voting even if it taxes our little brains to figure out the ballots. If you think we have it tough, imagine the states that have to settle ballot initiatives and elect judges, county supervisors, attorneys general, secretaries of state and railroad commissioners in addition to the relatively few offices we have to fill. They get it done with less confusion and better turnout.
THAT said, we need to make balloting easier. It's enough of a challenge to educate voters on issues and candidates. We don't need the added burden of having to intensely educate voters on how to mark confounding ballots.
Chief Elections Officer Dwayne Yoshina blames inadequate funding, saying he makes do with what the Legislature gives him. He's right that it's tough to get lawmakers interested in voter turnout. Low turnout favors incumbents who have money, name recognition and support from special interests.
But legislators have bigger responsibilities than their own re-election. They must commit to doing whatever it takes to make our cherished elections run as smoothly as Marion Jones.
If the Legislature and elections official don't make it happen, it's no excuse for us to stay home. We need to turn out to the polls in big numbers and hold them accountable.
David Shapiro is managing editor of the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at dshapiro@starbulletin.com.
Previous Volcanic Ash columns