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If the 2024 U.S. presidential election indicated anything, it is that there is a worrisome dearth of civic engagement among Hawai‘i’s citizenry. In this past primary election specifically, according to statistics from the State Office of Elections, there was an embarrassing 32.1% voter turnout rate.

This statistic is indicative of a truism in our state’s local politics: the lack of political diversity in Hawai‘i. If you’re wondering why many voters simply don’t vote, it isn’t only indolence or disillusionment with the government, but the lack of options voters have that stems from our state’s one-party rule.

That is why it is crucial our state fosters an environment that encourages candidates from other parties like the Republican Party to run for office, providing voters with a greater mix of candidates.

One need only look at history to understand the situation we find ourselves in. The Democratic Party has dominated Hawaii’s politics since 1962 when John Burns was elected governor. Gov. Burns’ ascendancy changed the very ethos of Hawaiʻi’s political scene, effectively putting a stop to what was a Republican hold on the islands.

Republicans had a sizable influence in Hawaiʻi during the territory days, but since 1962 the party has maintained a very minimal presence in our state government.

Let the record show for itself: We have had two Republican governors, William Quinn and Linda Lingle; only two times has Hawaiʻi voted for a Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984; and we had one Republican U.S. senator from Hawaiʻi, Hiram Fong.

Even today, though being the largest Republican caucus in 20 years, there are only nine representatives and three senators from the party in the 76-member Legislature. To put it simply, you need a book to list all the Democrats in our state government, while for Republicans, you need only a post-it-note.

Such a significant imbalance in our political composition leads to complacency, stagnation, and a lack of drive that politicians need to carry out the will of their constituents. When this is the case, voters become disaffected with their elected officials and feel there is no point in voting. If Democrats feel no need to prove themselves, how can we expect them to help the state?

The recent public corruption scandals that have occurred, such as with disgraced lawmakers J. Kalani English and Ty Cullen, certainly don’t help in encouraging people to vote. And, unless there is viable opposition to the Democratic Party, public officials who engage in corruption will continue to be elected and the disaffection will continue.

As with any vibrant society, ideas play an enormous role in shaping its direction. It was Richard Weaver, a renowned American intellectual, who once said that “ideas have consequences.”

It is when opposing ideas clash with one another that societal progress is achieved.

In Hawai‘i, however, there is no such clashing, which leaves us with the same solutions intended to address the same issues.

Has the issue of homelessness or affordable housing been effectively tackled? We are still far behind the state’s 50,000 affordable housing units goal, while anyone with a pair of eyes can still see the tremendous homeless population throughout Hawai‘i.

If our state wishes to increase civic engagement, we must end Hawai‘i’s one-party rule and enable candidates from different parties to run for office. Incorporating more town halls and debates between candidates from opposing parties would expose people to different ideas and offer alternatives to the Democratic Party.

If the people of Hawai‘i truly yearn for change, we must strike out on a new path.