Turnout among Hawaii voters has hit an all-time low — and if the fate of Oahu’s consequential rail project is not enough to make voters care, we fear that nothing will. That’s a depressing takeaway from Saturday’s dismal primary election turnout, in which only 251,959 residents — 34.7 percent, or barely a third of registered voters — bothered to have their say in who should run our government.
Compounding the problem was a dearth of contested races. All three congressional races were virtual slam dunks, and many state legislative incumbents faced scant challenge, with 16 incumbents running unopposed from the outset.
Oahu’s rail future was — and remains — the marquee issue in the Honolulu mayor’s race. In what must be a relief for incumbent Kirk Caldwell, he narrowly bested Charles Djou by 1,537 votes; as the top two vote-getters, but with neither receiving more than 50 percent of votes, they head to a runoff in the Nov. 8 general.
The Hawaii Poll had Djou leading by about 9 percentage points in early July, so his 43.7 percent loss to Caldwell’s 44.6 percent suggests weakness in his messaging during public debates later that month.
But expect much to happen in the next several weeks. Caldwell may have gotten a reprieve on the campaign trail, but not so from federal officials: The Federal Transit Administration is demanding a rail recovery plan by year’s end, with “immediate milestones and deliverables for an interim plan” by the end of September. So pressure is intensifying for the city to articulate viable options for the struggling $8 billion rail project well before the general election.
All that makes it imperative for both Caldwell and Djou to present to voters firmer strategies than they have for finishing or modifying the rail project.
Voters deserve to hear about prospective financing and cost-cutting, specifics on touted public-private partnerships, and realistic visions on transit mode and stations. Simply restating the mess we’re in and repeating “leadership” is not a game plan for a way forward, and proffering vague schemes only insults the voters.
In addition to rail, more specifics are needed on how to tackle homelessness, and on maintaining honesty and trust in the mayor’s office given the damage done to the eviscerated city Ethics Commission and the cloud over the Honolulu police chief.
Other highlights for the general election:
>> State Senate: Nine seats remain contested; the two races to watch will pit incumbent Republican Sen. Sam Slom against former City Councilman Stanley Chang in District 9; and Karl Rhoads against Rod Tam (and Harry Ozols) for the District 13 seat being vacated by Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland.
>> State House: 31 seats out of 51 remain nominally contested, with the most heated race likely to be in District 36, rematching GOP incumbent Beth Fukumoto Chang against former legislator Marilyn B. Lee. And after Saturday’s primary, Rep. Jo Jordan’s surprising loss to Cedric Gates leaves that District 44 seat without an incumbent; while Reps. Isaac Choy (District 23) and Sam Kong (District 33) narrowly escaped strong primary challengers and, with no further opposition, have secured reelection.
On the City Council, District 1 incumbent Kymberly Pine’s decisive over-50-percent win, and Ikaika Anderson running unopposed in District 3, leave just three Council districts up for vote in the general. On Oahu, all voters will have a raft of City Charter amendments to consider, so it’s time to start assessing the proposals at honoluluchartercommission.org.
Additionally, all Hawaii voters can vote for trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which holds more say over public lands and policy than most people realize.
And finally, the Nov. 8 general election gives all residents the opportunity to vote for president of the United States — between front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, this is the most unorthodox and surreal campaign likely to be seen in our lifetime.
Don’t let voter apathy prevail. If residents think sitting out in the general election won’t bring dire consequences, they need to think again.
