By David Shapiro

If this year's election is Hawai'i's most important in a generation, why are so many key races going uncontested? Eight of 25 incumbent state senators will be re-elected without opposition.

Two more get free rides in the general election after primary skirmishes. A third of incumbents in nonpartisan council races on O'ahu, the Big Island and Maui are unopposed.

Even in the state House of Representatives, where Republicans and Democrats are in a pitched battle for control, four of the 51 seats — 8 percent — are being conceded to incumbents.

These "elections" are decided not by voters, but by vested interests — businesses and unions dependent on taxpayer money. They use early campaign donations and endorsements to prop up friendly incumbents and scare off challengers.

This defeats a healthy democracy that thrives on vigorous debate of competing ideas and holding everybody accountable.

It becomes a vicious cycle. Uncontested elections reduce voter turnout. Low voter turnout favors incumbents who have money, endorsements and name recognition. Legislation to level the playing field must pass through the incumbents.

Some Pearl City voters face a particularly skimpy ballot this year with Councilman Gary Okino unopposed, as well as state Sens. David Ige and Cal Kawamoto and state Rep. K. Mark Takai.

In East Maui, both Councilman Robert Carroll and state Sen. J. Kalani English are unopposed.

Voters looking to register opinions on controversial issues may be out of luck.

Mad as hell about traffic cameras? Kawamoto, the transportation chairman and leading defender of the unpopular program, is running uncontested.

Didn't like the Legislature's raid on special funds? The chairmen of the money committees, Rep. Dwight Takamine and Sen. Brian Tani-guchi, are unopposed.

It's not that these candidates are so beloved that constituents want to return them by acclamation. Rather, they're so loaded with special-interest money and endorsements that it's prohibitive for a challenger to run. Kawamoto, for instance, is sitting on $265,000 and a string of endorsements.

Several groups, such as teachers, endorsed mostly incumbent lawmakers months before the candidate filing deadline, leaving potential challengers no opportunity to announce their candidacies and pitch for support.

The last Legislature started to address the money problem with a bill to restrict political donations by those who do business with government. But Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed the measure after lawmakers watered it down to take care of special-interest friends who take care of them. Cayetano was especially disgusted that legislators exempted their own campaigns from the restrictions.

A more fundamental problem may be that we have more elected offices than Hawai'i's small population can support with quality candidates. Nebraska, with a population of 1.7 million to our 1.2 million, gets by nicely with a unicameral legislature of 49 members compared to Ha-wai'i's 51 representatives and 25 senators.

If we can't produce Senate races with real competition, we should consider following Nebraska's lead and abolishing the Senate. We don't need a House of Lords.

Putting all legislative races in smaller House-sized districts would limit the impact of special-interest money and endorsements. In a small district, an appealing challenger with little money can mount a credible campaign by going door to door, attending community functions and distributing flyers.

Making county council races nonpartisan was a noble idea, but it took the pressure off the out party to challenge entrenched incumbents. If we can't field quality competition in a third of council races, we'd be better off with fewer council seats all subject to honest voter scrutiny.

David Shapiro can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net.