Hawaii holds an ignominious designation as one of America’s poorest performing states in terms of election participation. Tepid voter turnout routinely lands the Aloha State in the bottom five, and sometimes last, behind a consistently uninterested Bible Belt, according to data compiled by the United States Election Project. Whether it be perceived lack of choice, aversion to change, cynicism or plain apathy, voters are simply not engaged. This must change.
Ironically for those who feel their vote doesn’t count, historically low turnout means every ballot is precious and can tip the scales between success and defeat. Nowhere is this more apparent than state-level races, where margins are at times vanishingly thin. In the 2022 general election, former state Sen. Maile Shimabukuro edged her opponent, Samantha DeCorte, by just 40 votes in a contest that drew 9,946 ballots, a 0.4% majority.
That same year, a Maui County Council race between Alice Lee and Noelani Ahia was decided by 513 votes, or 1%, in Lee’s favor. Primaries, like those races to be decided Saturday, can run even closer, with less than 10 votes separating a party representative from an also-ran. Your vote matters.
Statewide voter turnout set an all-time high of 84.4% in 1959, Hawaii’s first year as a state, when more than 147,000 of 174,335 registered voters made their collective voice heard, per the state Office of Elections. Participation would touch above 80% only once more, in 1962, before steadily declining as Hawaii’s population began to balloon in the 1960s.
As of the last Census in 2022, 1,440,196 people were living in the islands, 853,874 of whom registered to cast a vote in the last primary. Despite a bump in 2020 amid efforts to streamline the voting process — online registration, ballot drop-off and a new vote-by-mail option — only 340,159, or 39.8%, turned in their 2022 ballot. That general election saw 419,665 votes cast out of 861,358 registered voters, an improvement to 48.7%. But set against Census statistics, a mere 29% of the electorate determined government representation and county charter amendments for the rest.
This year, after solid sessions in Washington, incumbents are rightly expected to continue with their respective roles in Hawaii’s congressional delegation. Locally, however, all 51 state House seats and 13 Senate seats are up for grabs, with a few important competitions, including a slot vacated by the aforementioned Shimabukuro, who represented Senate District 22 (Ko Olina, Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha, Makua). House Speaker Scott Saiki is once again battling Kim Coco Iwamoto for District 25 (Ala Moana, Kakaako, Downtown), while the son of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, Ken Inouye, is running against incumbent Trish La Chica, who should be returned to office. Four seats on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees are also up for election this year.
Beyond the politicians and the issues, civic engagement is a right Americans enjoy — and too often take for granted. Voting is the bedrock upon which democracy is built: Citizens are able to influence local and federal governance, and collectively determine what issues need attention and where tax dollars are spent. It is the bare minimum, but over the past half century, Hawaii has fallen woefully short. Let’s change that.
For those who have yet to vote — or register to vote — there’s still time. First, get up to date on the issues and candidates by perusing the Office of Elections’ digital voter guide at elections.hawaii.gov. It’s too late to mail in ballots, but voter service centers are open for same-day registration and voting until 7 p.m. Saturday. Ballot drop boxes are sprinkled across the islands and most are open through 7 p.m. on Election Day — but don’t wait till the last minute. A full list of service centers and drop box locations is available on the Office of Elections website.
