Go Vote 鈥斅營t’s Too Important To Pass Up
At a time when voting rights are under siege across the country, Hawaii voters should cast a vote for representative democracy this Saturday.
Tomorrow, men and women throughout the Hawaii islands will step into the intimate confines of the familiar red, white and blue curtained booth and take the critical first step toward selecting leaders who will hold significant sway over the affairs of our state in the coming months and years.
It鈥檚 not a duty anyone of voting age should take lightly. Flawed as it may be at times, America鈥檚 democracy is nevertheless a powerful example of egalitarian empowerment, particularly in nations where the concept of government by the people is mostly or entirely absent.
The embattled reality of democracy in such places around the world ought to remind us all of the fragility of representative government here in the United States and the never-ending need to protect it.
In recent years, for instance, voting rights for some communities have been under some of the strongest and most naked attacks they鈥檝e faced since passage of that landmark of the U.S. civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted 51 years ago last week.
Voter ID laws, restrictions on voter registration, closure of polling places and reduction or elimination of early voting have been part of systemic efforts to make it harder to vote, according to the at New York University School of Law.
Over the past six years, seeking to restrict voting rights,聽 20 states have actually enacted restrictive new laws, and 15 states this fall will face .
More often than not, the intent behind those laws and administrative changes has been to disenfranchise minority voters. The 4th U.S.聽Circuit Court of Appeals, for instance, ruled recently in a decision that included a blistering critique of the state鈥檚 General Assembly.
鈥淏efore enacting that law, the legislature requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices. Upon receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans,鈥 Judge Diana Gribbon Motz . 鈥淎lthough the new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision, they constitute inapt remedies for the problems assertedly justifying them and, in fact, impose cures for problems that did not exist.鈥
Over the past six years, 41 states have introduced some form of legislation seeking to restrict voting rights; 15 states will face new voting restrictions for the presidential election this fall.
In late July, the in a challenge to Texas鈥 new voter ID law, ruling that it violated the Voting Rights Act’s provisions banning racial discrimination in voting and elections.
While both those decisions represent clear victories for voters, the forces behind the overturned laws continue to work toward the same ends. In North Carolina, for instance, new on a local scale are already causing controversy and mobilizing voting rights advocacy groups.
In the face of such pitched battles for the unfettered ability to cast a ballot, democracy’s most central dimension, Hawaii ought to be ashamed of its dismal turnout for its most recent big vote in 2014: 52.3 percent, the lowest percentage ever for a Hawaii general election, ever.
Here鈥檚 what that means in terms of representative democracy. In a state of 1.42 million souls, 369,703 determined for all of us who would lead our state as governor, who would represent us in Congress, who would serve in our Legislature and in key county and city positions.
As the saying goes, if that doesn鈥檛 outrage you, you鈥檙e not paying attention.
The supreme irony is that it has never been easier to vote in Hawaii. Voters can request a ballot to , or even declare themselves permanent absentee voters and vote by mail every time. If they鈥檇 rather vote in person, they can do so early at locations throughout the islands.
But for those who enjoy the satisfying tradition of going to the polls on Election Day and engaging in one of the most fundamental, sacred and important obligations of American citizenship, tomorrow鈥檚 for you. (If you’re looking for more information, check out Civil Beat’s Hawaii Election Guide 2016.)
Saturday鈥檚 election and the overall turnout for this primary season in Hawaii will be illuminating in many ways. Will newly active voters energized by outsider candidacies in this year鈥檚 presidential race show up at the polls? And how will Honolulu voters express their feelings in mayoral and City Council races over the state of the city鈥檚 rail project or the pace of progress in areas like homelessness and affordable housing?
We鈥檒l have at least partial answers to these and many other questions by late Saturday evening. You have a chance to help shape them, and if you haven鈥檛 already taken advantage of it, you鈥檒l have 11 hours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow to let your voice be heard.
Don鈥檛 miss that precious opportunity. Get out and vote.
