Even voters blasé about this election season won’t be able to turn away from tonight’s presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and his rival and predecessor, Donald Trump. The hype is high, and too much is at stake for the world’s most powerful nation.
On one hand, it’s a sad state of affairs that the main choices for this nation’s highest, most-powerful office come down to a lukewarm one — with many Americans seeing this as a default choice, rather than a robustly
affirmative one. On the other, though, tonight’s debate
(3 p.m. Hawaii time) might just be what’s necessary to inject some sorely needed enthusiasm into this year’s elections — especially in Hawaii, which has a dearth of exciting races for key political offices.
It’s frustrating to see the relatively small pool of top-notch, quality candidates on the ballot. Statewide, there are significantly fewer candidates compared with years past, which translates to more incumbents facing little, or no, opposition. And that means Hawaii citizens should expect even less political churn than usual, less “new blood” to refresh the body politic.
What’s lost is the presence of spirited competition — for the sake of new ideas and styles in government, yes, but also to spur incumbents to work harder and justify their value to constituents. Fewer challenged races allow incumbents to cruise on to another two or four years — and that’s not good for anyone. Kudos to all the candidates who put themselves out there and mount vigorous campaigns.
This fall, Hawaii’s primary election will be on Aug. 10; the general election on Nov. 5. Races will include: one U.S. Senate and two U.S. House seats; all of the state Legislature’s 51 House seats and 13 of 25 Senate seats (many incumbents are unopposed); and five of the nine City Council seats (three incumbents are unchallenged).
Fewer choices for voters, unfortunately, can lead to apathy and low voter turnout. Already, turnout here chronically ranks among the lowest in the nation, a stubborn situation that requires perennial attention.
In Hawaii’s primary election two years ago, only 39.6% of registered voters took the time to cast their ballots. That was a huge plunge from the 2020 general election, when turnout was at 69.6%. As it was four years ago, Hawaii’s general election this year will be a Biden-Trump rematch, albeit with an incumbent reversal. But where the 2020 general also featured competitive down-ballot races for Honolulu mayor and prosecutor, this year, lamentably, the mayor faces meager opposition and the prosecutor is unopposed.
While the candidate pool is shallow, Hawaii’s pro-voter policies to increase access to elections can’t be faulted. A decade ago, same-day registration on Election Day, with valid identification, was enacted. Another improvement that boosted turnout came in 2020, when Hawaii launched vote-by-mail statewide. Since then, data clearly shows an overall increase in turnout — validating claims that mail-in balloting is secure and improves voting access.
Come July 23, registered voters here will start getting their primary ballots in the mail, to vote in the convenience and privacy of their own homes. (For more, see
elections.hawaii.gov Opens in a new tab.)
Overall, Hawaii has done better than many states in making it easier to vote. Enacting pro-voter policies are for the good; combating apathy and disillusionment is a tougher proposition. Electorate enthusiasm is fueled by excitement for candidates — but also by civic engagement. Realizing that voting can directly effect improvements for the community is a powerful motivator to hit the polls. Having the right people and policies in place brings positive outcomes; conversely, bad or corrupt ones can be damaging.
So consider tonight’s presidential debate a clarion call for all voters to pay attention and participate. Nationwide, citizens have been hearing that democracy is on the ballot this year. That makes it even more of a risky shame if voters, who have the right and privilege to participate in democracy, fail to do so. Stay engaged, and vote this fall.
