Informed voters crucial to steer isles’ transition

Hawaii, there’s a big test coming up. Has everyone studied for it?

Chances are the answer is "No," which is unfortunate. This one is going to be a toughie.

Thursday is the registration deadline for the primary election, which will present voters with a candidate choice of rare complexity, particularly in the statewide races.

Usually there is token opposition, if any, to an incumbent governor of either party. This time Gov. Neil Abercrombie faces state Sen. David Ige, whose background as Ways and Means chairman is sparking a substantive debate about spending priorities and budgetary policies.

For example, Ige is challenging his fellow Democrat on the commitment to a state early-education network that combines public and private pre-kindergarten classrooms. Abercrombie has invested a lot of political capital into the drive toward universal preschool based on that public-private partnership, while Ige has opposed the constitutional amendment proposal that would allow state funds to be funneled to private schools.

Both now have come out publicly against high-rises being built makai of Ala Moana Boulevard, but Kaka-ako growth and the tension over land-use concerns are still sure to be hot campaign topics. Voters interested in these among many other topics would be wise to seek guidance in sorting through the campaign rhetoric.

Thursday will offer one of only a few remaining opportunities to size up these candidates: a debate co-spon- sored by the Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now to be broadcast at 7 p.m. on KGMB, KHNL and KFVE.

A debate is the optimal means of election-year comparison shopping because viewers get to see the candidates respond in an unscripted way to questions from their rivals or a moderator. Almost any other form of presentation affords little chance to pick apart planks in the campaign platform, and that chance is critically important.

It’s a disservice to the public that there is relatively little of this form of civilized combat in this election cycle, especially considering the high stakes.

Democrats also will have a chance to pick among seven contenders for the nomination to an open congressional seat representing urban Oahu in Washington. There especially, voters will need to do their homework, if they’re to make a responsible selection in the Aug. 9 primary.

One of the seven — Ikaika Anderson, Stanley Chang, Will Espero, Donna Mercado Kim, Joey Manahan, K. Mark Takai, Kathryn Xian — will face the other party nominees in the Nov. 5 general election. The final selection will send to Capitol Hill someone who should be of the caliber to represent Hawaii well in difficult circumstances. Even if the winner is in the U.S. House majority party, a freshman in that boisterous body has to find a way to work the system.

The fact that there’s also a bruising battle for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination makes this an exceptional decision point in state electoral history. U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, whose Senate challenge left that congressional vacuum, wants to see that U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, appointed to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Dan Inouye, doesn’t win a six-year term in his own right.

In a debate Wednesday, the rivals split on the expansion of the Army’s training complex at Pohakuloa — Hanabusa is a more avid backer than Schatz — but they have worked to highlight their other differences. Principally the battle lines have been drawn over the way to approach mounting costs of Social Security.

If those issues matter to voters, and they should, they must invest time in researching their selection.

There are still ways to comb through the available data. To name one: The Star-Advertiser will publish its Primary Election Guide July 27, culling responses to key questions for the myriad local races.

These include the battle for the state’s No. 2 spot. While the public loves to joke about the lieutenant governor being relegated to ribbon-cutting exercises, keep in mind that that person remains a heartbeat away from the top job. And two short years ago, Schatz vaulted from that spot to the U.S. Senate.

All the state and county races deserve more attention, especially this year. It’s clear that Inouye’s passing has triggered a passing of the baton to a new generation of leadership. Selecting those who serve on Hawaii’s front lines requires, above all, an informed voting public.