I just voted absentee and was frustrated to find out that Hawaii is one of only seven states that doesn’t allow write-ins.

This left me with two choices: vote for one of these two less-than-desirable candidates or just leave that section blank, robbing me of my right to vote for the candidate I believe is best for the position.

Given all the Hawaii constitutional amendments we’re asked to vote on, how about adding this one next time around?

John Toillion

Mililani

I’ll choose, even if I don’t like my choices

I wonder how many other voters feel the same way I do this election year. I want to cast my vote for a new president, but my attitude about voting is that I’m going to feel “damned if I do vote, and damned if I don’t.” My dilemma is that I don’t believe either major-party candidate is qualified to serve.

But if I don’t vote, it would be the first time in 50 years that I did not do so. And as a veteran and responsible citizen, I have to vote. I can’t just not cast a vote.

So here I am. Torn between two unacceptable major-party candidates.

I will fill in a presidential ballot, but I will vote simply because I don’t want to feel damned if I don’t.

Richard Dinges

Hilo

Help third parties gain election funds

The Electoral College system pretty much guarantees a victory for Hillary Clinton in Hawaii, which is why so many people don’t bother to vote at all.

But people may not be aware of the importance of the popular vote this election cycle. For the first time in decades, a third political party is likely to receive 5 percent of the popular vote. If the Libertarians achieve just 5 percent, their party qualifies for federal campaign funding in the next election cycle.

In other words, they get a fair shot at running a competitive campaign. If you’re like me and are tired of the direction both Republicans and Democrats have taken our country, and think new ideas couldn’t hurt, think about the impact your vote can have on the popular results. Your support of a third party in Hawaii won’t change who is president, but it will help to legitimize third parties in the next election.

Michael McCarthy

Kaneohe

Long-term planning should be the norm

As I was reading the Honolulu Charter amendments and getting ready to vote, I was astounded at No. 6, “Should departments responsible for the city’s infrastructure needs be required to prepare long-term plans?”

The fact that the departments must be told to make long-term plans explains a lot. Shouldn’t they already have long-term plans? Wouldn’t they have them already if they cared at all?

Tom Frigge

Kaneohe

Baybayan is right about TMT’s value

Well-known Hawaiian navigator Chad Baybayan’s recent testimony in favor of the Thirty Meter Telescope project resonated with many of the silent Hawaiian supporters of the project (“Eminent Hawaiian wayfinder wants telescope to be built,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 3).

He said that “it would be the highest level of desecration” to take actions that limit opportunities for future generations of our Hawaii youth.

That is absolutely spot on. The millions of dollars that will be lost to the Hawaii economy pales in comparison to the loss of educational benefit for hundred of thousands of our present and future children, should this telescope be built in the Canary Islands.

Ancient Hawaiians used the stars to navigate, but in this day and age, modern exploration of our universe must go beyond the ability of the naked eye. The bright minds of our youth must not be deprived of this wonderful opportunity that could be realized in their backyard.

The Hawaiian blood that runs through my veins may not be enough to qualify for a homestead, but it is enough to care for the future of our local children. They hold the future in their hands.

Hal Omori

Mililani

Roadside memorials aren’t appropriate

I totally agree with the state’s policy to remove items from a roadside memorial after 30 days (“Roadside memorials allowed for 30 days, with restrictions,” Star-Advertiser, Kokua Line, Nov. 3). They definitely are an eyesore after awhile.

One thing I can almost guarantee you: The person’s spirit does not visit that memorial. They surely don’t want to be reminded where they died, or to recall the pain and suffering.

Unfortunately, the memorial is really for the living. Why would anyone want to keep going to locations where loved ones lost their lives? It can’t be a good memory.

People should pay their respects at the proper location, a cemetery, where they know their loved one is at peace — but definitely not at the side of a road.

Albert Miral

Ewa Beach

Educate neighbors about Ala Wai mess

After reading the article about the Ala Wai Canal, I would think that the neighborhood boards and/or community associations for Makiki, Manoa and Palolo could perform a welcome service by embarking on an education project for their communities (“The Ala Wai Canal conundrum,” Star-Advertiser, Insight, Nov. 6). By making people more aware and respectful of our streams and nearby land, the water feeding into the canal might be less polluted.

Of course, the Ala Wai Canal is in plain view of tourists and visitors to Waikiki, but more important, it has been the scene of paddling practice for local people. Perhaps the associations could work with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to reinstitute plans that worked in the past, such as the floating plant platforms.

Arlene G. Woo

Makiki