Hawaii is proud to be considered one of the best places to live and Hawaiians enjoy seeing our islands ranked at the top of many surveys. However, one place where Hawaii consistently places last is in voter participation. This is a serious problem so it is time to make a big change in the way we vote. Hawaii can do this by enacting a vote-by-mail system.
Hawaii is proud to be considered one of the best places to live and Hawaiians enjoy seeing our islands ranked at the top of many surveys. However, one place where Hawaii consistently places last is in voter participation. This is a serious problem so it is time to make a big change in the way we vote. Hawaii can do this by enacting a vote-by-mail system.
Voting by mail is already popular in Hawaii. In 2016, more votes were cast by absentee ballots and at early voting centers in three of four Hawaii counties than were cast at polling places on Election Day. Mail-in ballots are convenient especially in rural areas such as the Puna and Ka’u districts on the Big Island where the nearest polling place is often miles away from the voter’s residence. Mailed ballots are secure as election officials check to ensure that the signature on the ballot envelope matches the voter’s signature on file. Ballots are also sealed in a secrecy envelope so that election workers cannot see how an individual voted.
HB 1401, currently being considered by the Legislature, calls for all elections in Hawaii to be conducted by mail starting in 2020. The bill requires that a ballot be mailed to each registered voter in the state approximately 18 days before each election. Voters will be able to take their time to research candidates and issues before conveniently returning their ballot by mail. Voters will also have the option of returning the ballot in person to ballot collection locations. Each county will open voter service centers prior to an election where voters will be able to return voted ballots, vote in person, update their voter registration record, or register and vote. Disabled voters will be able to vote at these centers on accessible voting equipment. These centers will also be open on Election Day. Voters who need these services will not be tied to a polling place in their area, but instead will be able to utilize any center in their county of residence.
Washington, Oregon and Colorado already conduct elections exclusively by mail. A 2016 report by the Pew Charitable Trust stated that election costs in Colorado alone decreased by 40 percent and turnout increased after they implemented vote-by-mail and Hawaii is expected to follow in its footsteps. It will no longer be a need to find polling locations and staff the nearly 250 precincts on Election Day. On the Big Island alone over 800 people are recruited and paid to work on Election Day.
This proposal is supported by the State Office of Elections, the County Clerks of Hawaii, Kauai and Maui counties and the City Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu, as well as nonpartisan political organizations like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, so it is time for Hawaii to modernize elections and adopt a vote by mail system.
Brad Clark is a former election official and Assistant Secretary of State for Elections in California who now resides on the Big Island.