Even people who don’t follow politics could tell you that this year’s presidential election will be one for the history books. There is a lot at stake. Issues of immigration, gun control, police brutality and the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court have taken center stage. This is a big one, to say the least.
This year’s presidential election will also be the first in 50 years without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act, which will likely result in thousands of otherwise eligible voters being turned away from the polls. Unlike more regressive states, Hawaii has some of the most progressive and protective voting rights laws in the country. We also have some of the lowest levels of voter turnout. This needs to change.
With nearly 5,000 miles between Hawaii and Washington, D.C., it’s easy to feel a bit disconnected — even isolated — from national politics. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have the power to make real, honest-to-goodness progress for our state.
In an election season filled with widely diverse voices, Hawaii voters have an opportunity to shape our near- and long-range futures. The 2016 elections aren’t just about the presidency — we’ll also be selecting all 51 members of the Hawaii House of Representatives, more than half of our state Senate, a U.S. senator, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, two mayors, many City/County Councilmembers, several prosecutors, and multiple trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
When it comes to local politics, we are lucky to live Hawaii. Hawaii voters can reach most elected officials via phone, email and in-person visits. It’s common to run into lawmakers at your favorite plate lunch hangout, in line for shave ice, or at the shopping mall. You rarely pass a corner on a main road without seeing a candidate with a stack of lei and a cluster of sign-waving supporters, and you can stop and talk about your concerns.
Do you need a crosswalk repainted in your neighborhood? Do you want to weigh in on whether our keiki should have air-conditioned classrooms? Call your elected officials. We have proximity and access to our elected officials that most of our mainland counterparts do not.
This access empowers us to play a vital role in shaping policy on the issues most important to us and our families — whether that means making housing more affordable, reforming our police departments, ensuring that our kids have equal access to education, advancing privacy in the face of constantly evolving technology, or protecting the environment for future generations.
Most solutions are decided and implemented at the local level — here in Hawaii, not in Washington, D.C. Our state legislators began to address many of these problems during the 2016 legislative session, approving $12 million to alleviate homelessness and passing a bill to create an independent review board for incidents of police officer-involved deaths.
There is much more we can do. If we want Hawaii to live up to its full potential, we need to use the tools available to us to influence the change-makers.
That means contacting our elected officials and representatives and telling them which issues we care about most.
That means seeking out candidates who will not only listen to their constituents, but who will go to bat for them.
That means casting a vote on election day.
All those people waving signs on the sidewalk? They need you. You have their attention. They’re listening. Speak up, and vote!
