[ OUR OPINION ]
IN Iraq, citizens get to vote. But they only get to vote for one person, Saddam Hussein. Americans enjoy the right to choose their leaders from a colorful palette of candidates representing several different political parties and views. If this contrast isn't enough to spur voters to the polls tomorrow, there are other incentives. Go cast a ballot,
make a difference
THE ISSUE There is a lot at stake for Hawaii and the nation in tomorrow's general election.
Foremost is the future of our state and nation. The people elected will make important decisions about our financial and our social well-being. They will set the agenda for education, health care, the economy and business, the justice system, the environment and use of natural resources -- everything from agriculture and art to zoning and zoos.
The election tomorrow will be one of the biggest in the state's history with almost all of the seats in the state Legislature, the councils of all the counties, the Board of Education, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Maui and Kauai mayoral, congressional and the gubernatorial posts to be decided. In addition, voters statewide will be asked to approve or not three amendments to Hawaii's Constitution and Oahu, Maui and Kauai voters will decide on charter amendments.
Voters get time off for good behavior. Employers must allow citizens two consecutive hours with pay to cast ballots if they normally work between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. -- the time when polling places are open -- unless their workday starts after 9 a.m. or ends before 4 p.m.
Finally, there are the candidates themselves. Although politicians generally score low in approval ratings, they have put themselves on the line. For whatever reasons, most have gone through arduous campaigns, subjecting themselves to harsh scrutiny of their ideals and ideas as well as their personal lives. They've waved their arms on street corners, spoken at forums and meetings and answered countless questions from their fellow citizens as well as journalists. Agree with them or not, they've courageously stepped up to the plate. They deserve at least a response to their candidacies from as many voters as possible.
Go vote tomorrow. It matters.
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Smears, negative advertising, anonymous mailings and whisper campaigns reached significant levels in Hawaii this election year. The appropriate response to these nasty tactics is for voters to ignore them. They do nothing to advance understanding of either issues or a candidate's capabilities. Smears, half truths,
lies spawn disgust
THE ISSUE Cheap shots and low blows have become more common in local political campaigns.
Half-truths, twisted "facts" and plain-old lies turn off people from politics. Many will express their disgust by shunning the polls and no one benefits when citizens don't vote.
The Republican and Democratic national parties place great value on gubernatorial elections. "For the last 10 years, Republican governors have been the backbone of the party, the incubator of ideas, the financial base and the key players in presidential campaigns," Scott Reed, a Republican consultant who managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, told the Washington Post. Indeed, George W. Bush's ascension to the presidency was eased by other GOP governors, Reed said.
Although Hawaii usually plays a tiny role on the national scene, the Republican Party would be delighted to evict some Democrats from the state Capitol they have long inhabited. To this end, the party shipped in such notables as presidential adviser Karen Hughes, who Bush describes as his alter-ego, and Environmental Protection Agency head Christie Todd Whitman to stump for their candidate, Linda Lingle.
Democrats won't go without a fight. Their big gun, former president Bill Clinton, flew across the state last week to rally the troops for Mazie Hirono.
Both parties also have imported mainland consultants and money. Whether this has resulted in the brand of negative campaigning that plagues other states, isn't pertinent because scorched-earth combat, no matter the origins, impairs the elective process.
There are still opportunities before tomorrow's election for the voters to examine thoughtfully the ideas and competence of candidates. Many office-seekers distributed campaign materials; there are probably fliers still sitting around your house in stacks of mail. Newspapers published voter guides; you can see the Star-Bulletin's online at https://archives.starbulletin.com. The state elections office also has candidate-supplied information posted on its Web site at http://www.state.hi.us/elections/. Television stations are still presenting pieces on candidate's views, although their phone-in "polls" should be disregarded as entertainment rather than news.
It can be expected that candidates and parties will accentuate their opponents' negatives, but voters don't have to play along. They should ignore smears except to acknowledge them as cheap, underhanded and cowardly.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comMary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4790; mpoole@starbulletin.com
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