Posted on: Sunday, May 29, 2005

By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

Once again, a national survey has rated Hawai'i at the bottom in terms of voter participation.

According to the Census, fewer eligible Islanders went to the polls last year than in any other state.

In his report on this phenomenon last week, staff writer Jan TenBruggencate found political experts and academics mostly mystified by this pattern.

Part of the answer is that Uncle Sam considers resident military folks "eligible" to vote in Hawai'i. But for a variety of obvious reasons, most do not. Another explanation is that this is but one way to measure participation.

When one looks at registered voters compared with actual voting, our numbers in the last election looked fairly good — among the better participation rates in the nation.

Still, it is clear that voter participation, no matter how one measures it, has declined over the years.

So what has happened to make local voters so indifferent to the process? People will point out that in the early days following statehood, registration and participation were near the top, nationally.

In that observation may be the answer, or at least part of the answer, to this puzzle.

In the early statehood days, voting mattered because politics mattered in a way that was directly relevant to each individual. They were building a new school system, uplifting the University of Hawai'i, changing land-use and labor laws that would open doors for jobs and housing and, well, you name it.

Thus people voted. Their direct personal and economic interests were at stake.

Today, its a tough job for a candidate to make the argument that his or her election will have a direct and measurable impact on the personal interests of the voter. Most of the issues are on the margins.

The overriding political issue of recent years has been who is in and who is out and what they think of each other. For years, Republicans complained that the Democrats ran everything and did it poorly. After Linda Lingle won the governorship for the GOP, it has been the Democrats arguing that "change" is needed to get the state moving again.

Hardly inspiring.

Turnout will improve when those running for office make a compelling case that their election — or the defeat of the opponent — will lead to measurable improvement in the lives of the voters.

This is a tougher task than it was decades ago.

But it is not impossible. It is really just a matter of framing the argument in a compelling, direct way. Our economy is doing well; jobs are plentiful.

So what are the issues that matter? Housing, obviously. Traffic. Producing not just jobs, but good jobs and the folks who can handle them. Easing the stress of the rat race, where everyone works and few have quality time for their families and themselves.

If candidates begin speaking to these issues in a direct and compelling way, voters will listen. And they will vote.

Simply appealing to the idea that it is their civic duty to vote won't cut it.

Jerry Burris is The Advertiser's editorial page editor.