'Olelo to air series of candidate debates
| • | 'Olelo candidate debates schedule |
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
In an attempt to get more people to vote, 'Olelo Community Television will kick off a series of 44 live candidate debates starting today as part of its "Vote! 2002" campaign.
"Vote! 2002: Candidates Debate," will air Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on 'Olelo VIEWS, Channel 54 and Oceanic Digital Control.
The series will give more than 50 candidates in various O'ahu and statewide races the opportunity to debate with their opponents about issues in their communities, said Lurline McGregor, president and chief executive officer of 'Olelo.
Another series of debates will be put together before Election Day, McGregor said.
"We've been preparing for months, and now that it's finally coming together, I'm amazed," McGregor said. "There is a high level of activity, and this is really ambitious."
The series is the brainchild of political writer Robert Rees, moderator of Hawai'i Public Radio's "Talk to the Islands" and 'Olelo's "Counterpoint." Rees, who is also a freelance columnist for The Advertiser, will serve as moderator of the debates.
During the debates, Rees will ask the candidates questions. "By getting them started with questions, the candidates can just take it from there and ... start to carry the debate themselves," Rees said.
The questions were developed by a committee from the League of Women Voters, said Grace Furukawa of the League of Women Voters.
None of the candidates were given the questions in advance, but Furukawa said, "We did broader issues more than specific issues, and they're nonpartisan in the sense that the questions are not loaded."
She said some of the issues include gambling and public funding of campaigns.
Rees said he got the idea for the series while driving one afternoon in June. "There was a person on the radio bemoaning about the lack of outlets the public has to the leaders in their communities," Rees said. "I thought, 'Geez, we could get that problem fixed if we wired something up.' So I e-mailed 'Olelo the next morning."
McGregor said the debates will hopefully spark interest and get rid of voter apathy. "People just feel like nothing is going to change, and as long as you have this attitude, then you can't make change," McGregor said.
Furukawa said the debates are valuable because voters need to be educated on the issues. "It's important for people to not only vote, but understand who they're voting for, and what that candidate has to say," Furukawa said. "Your vote is extremely important, but you need to have an intelligent vote."
