High Income = High Turnout
The other day, we posted our district-by-district turnout percentages. Civil Beat member Dave Kozuki pointed out in the discussion that the district with the highest turnout — Aina Haina — also has been identified as the ZIP code with the .
Is there a connection between income and voter turnout?
Kozuki joked that maybe “voting will make you richer.” Hannah Miyamoto posited one theory: Upper-class people are often their own boss and can take time to vote whereas others cannot get time off from work. Nikki Love pointed us toward 2000 Census data, which this reporter mined to find the district-by-district per capita income for 1999. All the data is compiled in this handy chart:
| District | County | Region | Income | Rank | Turnout | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Honolulu | Niu Valley, Aina Haina, Kahala | $34,823 | 1 | 54.7% | 1 |
| 19 | Honolulu | Waialae, Diamond Head, Kahala | $34,612 | 2 | 54.3% | 2 |
| 17 | Honolulu | Kalama Valley, Hawaii Kai | $33,528 | 3 | 52.9% | 4 |
| 26 | Honolulu | Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl | $28,091 | 4 | 51.2% | 9 |
| 23 | Honolulu | Waikiki, Ala Moana | $27,612 | 5 | 33.9% | 41 |
| 24 | Honolulu | Manoa, Manoa Valley, University | $27,285 | 6 | 52.7% | 5 |
| 25 | Honolulu | Tantalus, Makiki, McCully | $27,127 | 7 | 44.5% | 18 |
| 49 | Honolulu | Maunawili, Enchanted Lake, Kaneohe | $27,049 | 8 | 49.6% | 13 |
| 20 | Honolulu | St. Louis, Palolo, Wilhelmina Rise | $25,726 | 9 | 51.3% | 8 |
| 11 | Maui | Makena, Wailea, Kihei | $25,394 | 10 | 25.1% | 50 |
| 21 | Honolulu | Kaimuki, Waikiki, Diamond Head | $25,184 | 11 | 42.2% | 23 |
| 10 | Maui | Lahaina, Kapalua,Kihei | $25,051 | 12 | 22.7% | 51 |
| 38 | Honolulu | Mililani, Mililani Mauka | $24,957 | 13 | 50.2% | 11 |
| 34 | Honolulu | Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City, Waimalu | $24,846 | 14 | 54% | 3 |
| 37 | Honolulu | Mililani, Waipio Gentry | $24,640 | 15 | 49.3% | 14 |
| 12 | Maui | Makawao, Olinda, Pulehu, Kula | $24,540 | 16 | 40.7% | 27 |
| 51 | Honolulu | Lanikai, Waimanalo | $24,254 | 17 | 44.2% | 20 |
| 6 | Hawaii | N. Kona, Keauhou, Kailua-Kona | $23,699 | 18 | 32.8% | 45 |
| 33 | Honolulu | Aiea, Halawa, Aiea Heights | $23,698 | 19 | 51.9% | 7 |
| 7 | Hawaii | N. Kona, S. Kohala | $23,542 | 20 | 33.3% | 44 |
| 31 | Honolulu | Moanalua Valley, Moanalua, Salt Lake | $23,202 | 21 | 49.2% | 15 |
| 50 | Honolulu | Kailua, Kaneohe Bay | $23,039 | 22 | 43.2% | 21 |
| 48 | Honolulu | Heeia, Haiku Valley, Kaneohe | $22,745 | 23 | 52.1% | 6 |
| 47 | Honolulu | Laie, Kaaawa, Kaneohe | $22,627 | 24 | 44.4% | 19 |
| 36 | Honolulu | Pearl City, Momilani, Pacific Palisades | $22,245 | 25 | 50.5% | 10 |
| 15 | Kauai | Lihue, Koloa | $20,863 | 26 | 45.2% | 17 |
| 14 | Kauai | Hanalei, Kapaa, Waipouli | $20,533 | 27 | 39.4% | 33 |
| 40 | Honolulu | Royal Kunia, Makakilo, Kapolei, Kalaeloa | $20,389 | 28 | 36.8% | 37 |
| 27 | Honolulu | Nuuanu, Puunui, Liliha, Alewa Heights | $20,251 | 29 | 48.3% | 16 |
| 41 | Honolulu | Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele | $20,148 | 30 | 39.5% | 32 |
| 9 | Maui | Kahului, Wailuku, Paia | $19,687 | 31 | 41.6% | 24 |
| 22 | Honolulu | Moiliili, McCully, Kaimuki | $19,647 | 32 | 39.6% | 30 |
| 16 | Kauai | Niihau, Lehua, Koloa, Waimea | $19,507 | 33 | 43.2% | 21 |
| 3 | Hawaii | S. Hilo, Puna, Keaau | $19,458 | 34 | 49.9% | 12 |
| 8 | Maui | Wailuku, Waihee, Waikapu | $19,013 | 35 | 40.6% | 28 |
| 13 | Maui | Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Hana | $18,739 | 36 | 32.7% | 47 |
| 28 | Honolulu | Palama, Downtown, Chinatown | $18,512 | 37 | 37.3% | 36 |
| 1 | Hawaii | Kohala, Hamakua, Hilo | $17,974 | 38 | 39.6% | 30 |
| 43 | Honolulu | Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point, Puuloa | $17,177 | 39 | 33.6% | 43 |
| 5 | Hawaii | Puna, Kau, S. Kona, N. Kona | $17,049 | 40 | 40.5% | 29 |
| 32 | Honolulu | Pearlridge, Aiea, Pearl Harbor | $17,018 | 41 | 35.3% | 40 |
| 2 | Hawaii | S. Hilo, Kaumana, Keaukaha | $16,952 | 42 | 41.4% | 25 |
| 35 | Honolulu | Pearl City, Waipahu | $16,802 | 43 | 38.5% | 35 |
| 42 | Honolulu | Waipahu, Honouliuli, West Loch, Ewa | $16,644 | 44 | 35.5% | 39 |
| 39 | Honolulu | Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Poamoho | $16,317 | 45 | 38.9% | 34 |
| 30 | Honolulu | Kalihi Valley, Fort Shafter | $15,997 | 46 | 40.9% | 26 |
| 46 | Honolulu | North Shore, Schofield, Kunia | $15,392 | 47 | 29.5% | 49 |
| 29 | Honolulu | Sand Island, Mokauea, Kapalama | $14,082 | 48 | 33.9% | 41 |
| 44 | Honolulu | Honokai Hale, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Maili | $13,782 | 49 | 30.8% | 48 |
| 4 | Hawaii | Puna, Pahoa, Kalapana | $13,698 | 50 | 36.3% | 38 |
| 45 | Honolulu | Waianae, Makaha, Makua | $13,269 | 51 | 32.8% | 45 |
Source: Civil Beat analysis of election results and U.S. Census data
The parallels aren’t perfect, but the numbers show an obvious trend. Aina Haina is No. 1 in both turnout and income; Kahala is No. 2 in both. But while West Maui is 12th in income, it came in dead last (51st) in turnout. Why is that? Perhaps for the same reason that Waikiki underperformed relative to its income. Or that Wailea and Kihei did the same. High tourist areas have highly transient populations. Other reasons?
I pointed out in a comment that 1999 is a while ago in terms of making assumptions about current income data, and was also before the [pdf] redrew the boundaries for the state House districts.
I said in the discussion and I’ll say it again here: Isn’t it cool what we can all learn together?
