Even as residents cast absentee ballots this week and next, the political campaigning is intensifying each day heading into the Aug. 11 primary election. In a year with much more at stake than most, with myriad still-moving parts, it’s critical that voters do their due diligence to vet candidates and be informed, and that includes something as basic as where to vote.
Thanks to reapportionment, about 1 out of 3 registered voters has a new polling place, and some veteran lawmakers are not in their longtime districts. Refer to that yellow card that came from the Office of Elections to confirm where you’ll be voting, or go online to http://hawaii.gov/elections.
For those who requested a ballot by mail, absentee voting is well under way, via return mail and at walk-in sites (http://hawaii.gov/ elections/voters/AB_Early_Walk_Locations.pdf). This seems to be a growing trend: In the 2010 primary, 44 percent of registered voters cast their ballots early.
Though this two-week period of early voting might wreak havoc on politicians’ campaign strategy, it’s hoped that such voter convenience will boost Hawaii’s chronically anemic turnout. In 2010, less than half of registered voters — 42.8 percent — cast ballots, and that’s downright shameful.
The heartening news is that voter registration increased statewide this year for the fourth primary election in a row. Some 687,500 are registered for the primary, up from 684,481 in 2010. In Honolulu, 461,896 are registered to vote, compared with 460,244 two years ago. Registration and turnout promise to play a particularly strong role on Oahu, where the hotly contested mayor’s race will help decide the rail project’s fate.
A healthy turnout will likely favor Ben Cayetano’s anti-rail campaign, bringing out more voters from Windward and East Oahu, those who perceive no direct benefit from rail. That presumably would also benefit a "Blue Dog" Democratic candidate like Ed Case, running for U.S. Senate against Mazie Hirono, since those areas’ residents tend to lean independent and Republican.
The Hawaii Poll conducted July 12-21 for the Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now found a continued split over rail. 509 very likely Oahu voters, 44 percent thought work on the rail should continue, whereas 50 percent said it should not; these echoed findings from February. As for the mayoral candidates: Cayetano held steady at 44 percent; with Peter Carlisle and Kirk Caldwell in a statistical tie at 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively. This, despite more than $1 million spent by a pro-rail group to try to beat back Cayetano.
The Hawaii Poll also provided intriguing snapshots of other important races:
» In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Hirono retained an 18 percent lead over Case. Of 606 voters, 55 percent favored Hirono while 37 percent favored Case. But, as Case noted, a 2002 poll taken when he and Hirono were battling for governor had her ahead of him by 20 percentage points; Hirono ended up winning by about 1 point.
» Among the Democratic front-runners for U.S. House, Tulsi Gabbard is still a long shot but has closed the gap against Mufi Hannemann, pulling 33 percent to his 43 percent among 343 likely voters asked last month. In February, Hannemann had commanded a 65 percent-to-20 percent margin, and 40 percent didn’t even know Gabbard’s name back then. Hannemann just loaned his campaign $150,000 in hopes of staving off Gabbard.
Polls offer glimpses into what your neighbors and communities are thinking in a particular window of time. But it’s your responsibility to make informed choices. The Star-Advertiser has an excellent voters guide online to research politicians and their stands on issues at http://elections.staradvertiser.com/cifw/election12.
Take the time to know your candidates, then participate in the only poll that counts. Go vote.
