Cast your vote today — unless you already have

Today’s the day the bedrock right of democracy is exercised: the right to vote.

More accurately, today is the last chance this election cycle to exercise that right, given that roughly half of Hawaii’s registered voters are likely to have already cast their ballot using the state’s early-voting provisions.

Those provisions are changing the dynamics of campaigns, here and elsewhere in the nation.

But Election Day itself retains a large measure of its importance because it’s an end point. After a long, divisive election-year marathon, it’s likely, if not certain, that the results will be known tonight, and the planning must begin to deal with the consequences of various choices.

Nationally, the decision on the presidency will be made in key battleground states but the complete picture of future governance — the makeup of the next Congress — probably won’t fill in completely until the westernmost states, including this one, have had their say.

And in Hawaii, settling the verdict on the mayoral race in Honolulu, with the debate over a rail project as its dominant feature, may take hours after the first returns come in.

So we’re all in for a dramatic Election Night, one loaded with consequence. Those who have not yet done so should get to the polls and be part of "government by the people."

The Star-Advertiser has made its own choices in most of the major races, consolidating them into a single recap list here:

For president: Barack Obama

For U.S. Senate: Mazie Hirono

For U.S. House: Colleen Hanabusa (1st District) and Tulsi Gabbard (2nd District)

For Honolulu mayor: Kirk Caldwell

For Honolulu City Council:

District 1 — Kymberly Pine

District 5 — Ann Kobayashi

District 6 — Carol Fukunaga

For Honolulu city prosecutor: Keith Kaneshiro

For state Senate:

District 9 — Sam Slom

District 10 — Les Ihara

District 11 — Brian Taniguchi

District 12 — Brickwood Galuteria

District 16 — David Ige

District 18 — Michelle Kidani

District 20 — Mike Gabbard

District 21 — Maile Shimabukuro

District 22 — Donovan Dela Cruz

District 23 — Clayton Hee

District 25 — Laura Thielen

For state House:

District 18 — Jeremy Low

District 19 — Bertrand Kobayashi

District 20 — Calvin Say

District 22 — Tom Brower

District 23 — Isaac Choy

District 24 — Della Au Belatti

District 26 — Scott Saiki

District 27 — Corinne Ching

District 28 — John Mizuno

District 31 — Aaron Johanson

District 32 — Linda Ichiyama

District 33 — K. Mark Takai

District 36 — Marilyn Lee

District 37 — Ryan I. Yamane

District 39 — Ty Cullen

District 40 — Bob McDermott

District 41 — Adam Reeder

District 42 — Sharon Har

District 43 — Glenn Butler

District 44 — Jo Jordan

District 45 — Jake Bradshaw

District 46 — Marcus Oshiro

District 47 — Richard Fale

District 51 — Chris Lee

On Honolulu City Charter amendments:

Question 1 (allowing the City Council to authorize special funds without the mayor’s recommendation): No

Question 2 (requiring at least half of 1 percent of annual general fund revenues to be given as grants): No

On state Constitution amendments:

Question 1 (authorizing the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds for reservoir and dam upgrades): Yes

Question 2 (allowing the chief justice to appoint retired judges as emeritus judges, for temporary terms): Yes