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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, September 27, 2002

Hawai'i keiki first to cast ballots via Net

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kids Voting

• For information, call 593-VOTE (8683), or toll-free at 1 (877) 616-VOTE.

• On the web: www.kidsvotinghawaii.org

Grownups may learn a few things about running an election by watching their children this year.

For the first time, Hawai'i youngsters in the Kids Voting program will be casting ballots via the Internet. Of the 41 states participating in the program, only Hawai'i students will use computers to vote in the general election.

"This is the only one in the Kids Voting USA circuit that is statewide and is so legitimately mirroring the adult voting," said Kids Voting Hawaii president Lyla Berg. "It's not a mock election. It is an election and we will announce the results parallel to the adults' (on Nov. 5)."

Two years ago the Kids Voting program used paper ballots just like the adults. Berg said she believes this year's Internet voting program is the first of its kind in the United States.

From Oct. 22 through Nov. 5, youngsters in Grades K-12 can vote by logging on to the Web site for Kids Voting at www.kidsvotinghawaii.org. Berg said the results will be announced as soon as the adult polls close at 6 p.m. general election day.

To vote, teachers will log on to the Web site and get a "token number" that will be printed on a voter registration card for each student. The students will then add their family's district and precinct numbers to their registration card to generate a ballot.

Only those with a valid token number will be able to vote, Berg said.

Students can vote from any computer with Internet connection. Those who are unable to vote before Nov. 5 may go to any public school that serves as an adult polling site, where Rotarians will be on hand to assist the students.

Starting Monday and through Oct. 21, practice ballots will be available at the Web site for Kids Voting.

The ballots will be similar to the adult ballots. Students will vote on all the major races, except the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Berg said students also will be able to vote on special student initiatives.

This year's initiative issues ask students whether they should be allowed to evaluate their teachers. Another question is whether the student member of the Board of Education should be a voting member of the board, along with the 13 elected BOE members.

Berg said that in the last two elections, students overwhelmingly supported the two initiatives. She said the questions will remain on the Kids Voting ballot until adults get the message.

Internet voting technology was developed for Kids Voting through a volunteer partnership of Commercial Data Systems and Hawaiian Electric Industries. The title sponsor is American Savings Bank.

Kids Voting Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that teaches students the importance of voting and good citizenship. All 225,000 school-age children are eligible to take part in the program, which is affiliated with Kids Voting USA.

In the last three general elections, more than 125,000 Hawai'i students participated, with the largest turnout of 71,000 in 1998. Berg says she hopes the Internet will help to increase interest in voting.

"The computer can be the equalizer," Berg said. "Even students in more lower economic areas can go to churches, businesses, state libraries, boys and girls clubs, anywhere where there's a computer, they can get their ballot."

Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.