3 easy steps
to winning
an election

In this column I will reveal the three secrets of political professionals that guarantee their candidate November victory.

Yes, as you guessed, the first secret is to get more votes than your opponent.

Secret No. 2 is make sure your supporters vote.

The final secret is make sure your supporters vote.

Although that seems simple, it is enough of a question for university researchers to study. Slightly more than 1,000 people were polled at the beginning of this month for Ohio University. When asked who they would vote for, 50 percent said Sen. John Kerry and 44 percent said President Bush.

When the group was filtered to include only those who were 18 and registered to vote, the number went to 50 percent Kerry and 45 percent Bush.

Then when the tally was again filtered to include only those who said they were certain or almost certain to vote, the result was Kerry 47 percent and Bush 48 percent.

So when only likely voters are measured, the clear win for Kerry becomes a statistical tie.

And that's why the trick is to get your candidate's voters to the polls.

It also explains why Hawaii voters who had voted absentee in the primary were getting recorded phone calls from Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona last week urging them to vote in the general and please consider voting for GOP candidates.

This is just the first part of the Republicans' plan to get out the vote. The main push comes on election day when GOP poll watchers will be staffing each of the 351 precincts as volunteer poll watchers. One of the things they will be watching for are GOP supporters, donors, friends and like-minded individuals who are registered and have not yet voted.

The poll watchers will relay the names to GOP headquarters where the nonvoter will be called, cajoled and ferried to the polls.

Brennon Morioka, GOP chairman, said his party has identified more than 100,000 voters across the state whom he wants to get to the polls.

On the Democratic side, the state's majority party was stung two years ago when the GOP get-out-the-vote campaign proved so successful. The plan is being emulated by the Democrats, but it appears the numbers are not as large.

Joshua Wisch, the coordinator for the House Democrats' election campaign, says the voter training session should put between 50 and 100 poll watchers in precincts across the state to help corral the Democratic vote.

"It is a simple, beautiful, grassroots campaign," said Wisch.

Democrats also have been getting lists of past supporters from established Democratic politicians, but it doesn't appear to be as bountiful a list as the one prepared by the GOP.

On Monday, the walk-in polls open around the state. On Oahu you can stop by City Hall, Pearlridge Center, Kapolei Hale and Windward Mall and vote absentee. The early absentee walk-in voting ends Oct. 30.

If you don't want to get a nagging call from the Republicans or Democrats on election day, perhaps voting early would be the best course for those who want to make a difference this year.