[ OUR OPINION ]
HAWAII'S children get a lesson in citizenship through an exceptional program that will let them cast virtual ballots in the general election. Although their votes won't count, the Kids Voting Hawaii project encourages them to do what many adults don't: take part in the election process. Further, the online balloting may prod state elections officials to look into using the Internet as a possible method for real polling. Adults should take notice
of kids’ virtual voting
THE ISSUE An online program to teach children the importance of voting should be instructive for adults, too.
The program, begun in Hawaii in 1996, works to prepare all school-age children with information and experience to participate as citizens in voting. It also hopes to motivate adults by stimulating discussions between parents and their youngsters about candidates and issues.
Adults could use the prompting. In the primary election last month, only 269,116 out of 667,679 registered voters -- about 40 percent -- went to the polls, a dismal showing that was the second-lowest turnout in Hawaii's history.
This year, the project will have kids voting online from their home or school computers from Oct. 22 to Nov. 5. The voting system was designed because paper ballots were cumbersome, according to Sterling Yee, a Kids Voting Hawaii board member who help create its Web page at http://www.kidsvotinghawaii.org/. Children will be given voter registration numbers that are linked to their districts so that only valid ballots can be entered. Children also may choose to cast their ballots at polling places.
The Internet has proven to be a valuable tool in elections; candidates have used its broad reach as an inexpensive method for disbursing information about their campaigns. Although Internet voting likely would be problematic in real elections, it may be useful for elections officials to examine how the Kids Voting system works for possible adaptation. With enough safeguards from tampering, online voting could not only encourage more people to vote, it could speed tallying and conceivably lessen the costs of elections.
Tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in the general election. If you haven't already signed up, the state elections office's Web site at www.state.hi.us/elections can tell you how to do it. As Hawaii's children are learning, voting is essential to a democracy. Adults should take their lessons to heart as well.
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