Low voting rate in Hawaii draws national interest

Hawaii is getting a turn in the national limelight, but CNN’s latest project calls attention to a glaring lowlight: the state’s voter turnout rate.

CNN’s "Change the List" project is what the cable network calls a new approach to reporting by starting with a list that highlights "one of the world’s most intractable problems." The network then focuses on the place at the bottom of the list.

"The goal is not to shame that place. It’s to bring change to the one country, state, city or ecosystem that needs it most," the project states. "Our current effort: Bumping Hawaii off the bottom of the United States voter turnout list."

Hawaii consistently ranks among the lowest, if not last, in the country in voter turnout rates. CNN chose to look at the 2008 general election, in which Hawaii’s voter turnout rate was 48.8 percent despite the presence of a Hawaii-born presidential candidate, Barack Obama, at the top of the ticket.

CNN reporter John D. Sutter crisscrossed the state, talking to locals about voting and getting involved in the political process.

The project came up with a list of eight reasons why Hawaii does not vote, many of which have been long known to politicians and political analysts here. They include, among others, apathy due to beaches, surf and other outdoor activity; Native Hawaiians who refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the U.S. government in Hawaii; time zone differences that result in national elections being called by the time Hawaii polls close; and the dominance of one-party rule over the state.

To get Hawaii off the bottom of the list, Sutter urges readers to send messages online to try and persuade five nonvoters in Hawaii to cast ballots this year, and to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to show support for voting.

"Well, it’s certainly not going to increase turnout in Hawaii," said Neal Milner, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii. "What we know about the way turnout works is the best way to increase turnout is to have friends and family or canvassers do a face-to-face contact with a person and try to encourage them to come out."

Sutter’s project supported that notion, even coming across one resident who agreed to vote this year simply because she was asked.

"I think that’s kind of a key learning experience, that we don’t need this magical formula to get people to vote," said David Chang, Hawaii Republican Party chairman. "What we need to do is just have a really strong get-out-the-vote effort."

Both parties say the get-out-the-vote campaign is a key part of the strategy, along with ongoing education at all levels and trying to recruit strong candidates.

As to whether a national recognition of the state’s low ranking can help increase turnout, Dante Carpenter, state Demo­cratic Party chairman, sides with Milner.

"I don’t think so. I think the awareness is certainly within the state of Hawaii — people know here and those who are paying attention to the election are certainly well aware that we don’t really have a good record and haven’t for quite some time," Carpenter said. "We certainly did at some points in time not in the very distant past, so we’re doing everything we can as a party to get people interested, talking about politics and hopefully talking about it in a more enlightened way rather than in a negative way."