It would be logical to characterize the country’s first all-digital and telephone election as a failure. Participation levels for the 2009 Oçahu neighborhood board elections were dismal, even by Hawaiçi poor voter turnout standards: Less than 6.5 percent of those eligible voted, down from 28 percent in 2007, when the familiar, but more costly, paper ballots were used.

Indeed, the new system apparently did play some role in the lousy results; changing the way people cast ballots in the election to an unfamiliar method couldn’t have helped.
But blaming the online system — which appeared to work as advertised — isn’t the answer.
Encouraging greater participation in the neighborhood board process, to turn out more voters and more candidates, should be a higher priority.
The Neighborhood Commission and the boards, along with other city officials, need to evaluate this election and come up ways to make the system more effective.
The city will need to ramp up its public education campaign so voters are more comfortable with the online and phone-in systems, which are safe, cost-effective options to the traditional ballot box approach.
Of course, a public campaign to get out the vote only makes sense if there are qualified candidates to vote for. This year only 16 of the 33 boards had contested races.
More candidates in board races is key to making the system more robust. Reducing the total number of board seats, now at 445, and making more of them at-large, could make it easier to draw eligible candidates.
Neighborhood boards are worth the public investment. The boards connect communities directly with elected officials, giving individuals a voice and leverage they would not have on their own. They are a reliable way for city and state agencies to reach out to our communities on important issues; they also encourage careers in public service.
Improving the elections process, while continuing to try innovative approaches, will ultimately ensure our neighborhood boards continue to thrive. That’s a worthy goal.