Hawaii has a voter turnout problem. Among the 50 states, Hawaii has consistently ranked the lowest in voter turnout; in the 2018 general election, turnout was only 39.3%.
The reasons for Hawaii’s low voter turnout are unclear. Is voting in-person at the polls too difficult due to multiple work and family obligations? Is it due to the dominance of Hawaii’s single-party political system, leading to voter apathy? Is it due to a lack of diverse candidates?
Whatever the reasons, voting at a polling location in Hawaii should not be so onerous as to suppress turnout. Voting should be convenient for Hawaii’s hardworking citizens. People should not have to chase the polling booth.
Voting, the bedrock of our democracy, should also evolve with the times — from traditional polling booths to mail-in ballots, which is what the 2019 state Legislature envisioned with House Bill 1248, CD 1, the vote-by-mail bill. Once signed by Gov. David Ige, elections statewide beginning with the 2020 primary shall be conducted by mail.
The concept of mail-in ballots is not new. Hawaii has seen over the years an increase in voters requesting mail-in ballots and submitting their votes by mail. In the 2016 Hawaii election cycle, except for one county, the votes cast prior to election day exceeded those cast on election day at polling places. Let us not forget the 2019 City Council Tommy Waters- Trevor Ozawa election recount, which was conducted entirely by mail-in ballot with a remarkably high voter turnout rate of 49.31%.
Nationally, many jurisdictions have implemented vote-by-mail. There are at least 22 states that allow certain elections to be conducted entirely by mail.
The main concern raised with vote-by-mail is the integrity of the ballot. This, however, is not a concern that withstands scrutiny.
Hawaii’s vote-by-mail will be by paper ballot and removes the hacking threat, which is one of the greatest ballot integrity issues we currently face. Each voter’s paper ballot has a unique barcode. Each ballot must be signed before it is returned, and the signature will be electronically verified against a sample on file. As for a person’s vote being bought by a third party or a voter being coerced by family or friends, other jurisdictions that have implemented vote-by-mail and Hawaii’s absentee ballot program have found this concern to be effectively nonexistent. Where Hawaii’s absentee ballot program has seen errors, these have been identified and addressed because of the paper ballot system.
Acknowledging that vote-by-mail will not be for everyone, HB 1248 establishes voter service centers to be open 10 business days prior to and through election day. Thus, people can still vote in-person. Voter service centers will also accept hand delivered mail-in ballots and provide same-day voter registration and other election services.
This vote-by-mail law will benefit Hawaii, which is already trending toward this method.
Vote-by-mail has been shown to be more convenient and accessible for all voters and, therefore, will increase voter turnout and reduce voter disenfranchisement. Vote-by-mail will also cost less than operating traditional polling booths, saving taxpayers money, because fewer polling officials will be needed, for less time.
To be sure, Hawaii’s election system and the vote-by-mail process may need further refinements, and Common Cause Hawaii stands ready to support those measures. But for now, we encourage the governor to view HB 1248, CD 1, as worthy of signature. A vote-by-mail law will provide voters more flexibility and convenience to exercise their constitutional, democratic voting rights.
Sandy Ma is executive director of Common Cause Hawaii.
