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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Hawaii businesses
pitch in to overcome
low voter turnout
MONDAY is the last day to register to vote in the November general election and Hawaii's record-low 39.7 percent voter turnout in the primary has spurred efforts to improve the number.
The politically passionate cast and crew of the NBC-TV show "Hawaii" were interested in boosting voter rolls and turnout, and enthusiastically agreed to tape public service announcements toward that end.
"I come from a generation where voting was still kind of like a duty, you know, and it wasn't a decision. There was not voter apathy," said Jeffrey Reiner, "Hawaii" co-executive producer and director.
The aftermath of the Vietnam War drove people to the polls then, "and I think we're experiencing the same situation now. We're in a war and there are very heavy decisions to be weighed in upon."
Hawaii's NBC affiliate KHNL-TV sent a videographer to tape the announcements in spare moments during the "Hawaii" shooting schedule. One 30-second and two 10-second announcements begin airing today using NBC's "The More You Know" public service logo.
KHNL is also sending the prepared spots and additional footage to the network for possible national broadcast.
"Our goal is to try to get people out there to vote and if our friends at NBC are willing to help out, we're more than happy to include them," said John Fink, vice president and general manager of KHNL.
Free day off
AIG-Hawaii employees will get Election Day off as a reward after they exceeded a voter registration challenge from Robin Campaniano, the insurance company's president and chief executive."What concerned me was the low voter turnout -- and I wanted to make sure my employees were really taking part in the process," said Campaniano, a former Cabinet member under Gov. John Waihee.
If employees signed up 350 voters, they would get the day off Nov. 2.
They registered 430 voters.
"I was skeptical ... that was my mistake. I thought they would keep it small." Instead, employees signed up office visitors and set up registration tables in the courtyard of Restaurant Row.
The company invites candidates from various parties to visit its offices and e-mails employees information on races and tips on why voting is important, but "we make no endorsement," Campaniano said.
Rewarding behavior
Outrigger Enterprises Inc. has encouraged employees to vote by staging prize drawings for about the past 10 years, according to Max Sword, vice president for industry affairs.Outrigger workers across the state write their employee numbers on proof-of-voting stubs and send them in for the drawing, "so only the people at HR know who that person is," he said.
After the last general election, the company offered new Sony 27-inch color televisions, PS2 video-game systems and two grand prize neighbor island trips with airfare and accommodations at any of the company's properties.
The stub-count revealed that 60 percent of employees voted and participated in the drawing, however, "senior management is discouraged from participating in the drawing," so the percentage of employees voting likely was greater, Sword said.
This election season's prizes are from Panasonic and include new TVs, $500 digital cameras, $250 Costco gift certificates and neighbor island trips.
The voter-turnout-encouragement drive was created by Outrigger Chairman Richard Kelley, President David Carey and the employee-run Outrigger Hotels Hawaii Political Action Committee, said Sword. The committee also stages voter registration drives every two years, he said.