The act of voting itself is just part of the civic responsibility we share in determining who leads our county, state and nation. Before a single ballot gets cast, we must first and foremost educate ourselves on who we are electing.
The act of voting itself is just part of the civic responsibility we share in determining who leads our county, state and nation.
Before a single ballot gets cast, we must first and foremost educate ourselves on who we are electing.
We must overturn the phenomenon of name recognition alone playing such a heavy role in returning so many candidates to office.
If they served their constituents well over the past couple years, of course, support them for another term. If you have little-to-no idea what they actually accomplished in office, now is the time to educate yourself about them and the alternatives.
Residents have ample opportunity to learn more about the people running for office this fall.
Candidates are hosting “talk-story” sessions around the island, giving members of the public a chance to ask questions in person.
You can also learn about practically all of these political hopefuls by visiting their websites. Open up a few Internet browsers and compare your favorites side by side.
Additionally, The Garden Island has been reporting and will continue to cover all the major candidate forums on Kaua‘i in both print and video online.
The newspaper also plans to disseminate information about the candidates through a series of interviews. Several candidates for governor and Senate have already been printed and can be accessed via www.thegardenisland.com.
Also, The Garden Island started publishing today the responses to a questionnaire sent to candidates running for mayor, the seven Kaua‘i County Council seats, the sole state Senate seat and the three state House seats representing Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau.
We have two weeks until the primary election. Some critical decisions will be made Sept. 18 at polling places here and throughout Hawai‘i.
Among the biggest is the Democratic choice for governor. Former Congressman Neil Abercrombie and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann are the clear leaders in the gubernatorial race to win their party’s nomination. The top vote-getter there is expected to face the top Republican contender for governor, Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona Jr., in the Nov. 2 general election.
Where do these candidates stand on the issues that matter to you? Find out. Get involved.
Now is the time to arm yourself with information before exercising your democratic right and civic responsibility to vote. You have the direct power to influence change. Vote smart.
