Hundreds of students gathered around the Kamehameha statue Tuesday, sign-waving before walking over to Honolulu Hale to drop off general election ballots or watch the process unfold.
Claire Hutchison, an 18-year-old senior at Kamehameha Schools’ Kapalama campus, was one of the few students eligible to vote.
She explained her motivation, saying, “It’s my kuleana, especially as a Native Hawaiian, to take part in shaping the future for generations to come.”
Hutchison said she grew up in a politically engaged household, where her parents regularly followed the news and shared their opinions — an environment that encouraged her to form her own political beliefs.
“As I get older I have my own viewpoints, and I don’t always follow my parents or what I see on the news,” she added.
As one of about seven students who cast ballots Tuesday, Hutchison hopes to inspire younger students to follow her lead and vote for the changes they want to see.
“I was the only one out of my friends who could vote, but some have just turned 18. I’m trying to get them involved because they don’t seem to care as much, but I tell them it’s important to vote for people who will help shape our future,” she said.
Hutchison has been encouraging her peers to learn about the voting process and supporting them in registering to vote when they reach the eligible age.
In Hawaii, residents must be at least 16 years old to register and 18 years old by Election Day to vote.
Kamehameha Schools is part of Our Kaiulu Votes, an inclusive, Native Hawaiian-led movement urging kanaka maoli, especially first-time voters, to exercise their right through campaigns like Our Kaiaulu Votes and Walk to the Box events.
On Tuesday about 200 students from Kamehameha Schools, Mid-Pacific Institute and St. Andrew’s Schools participated in sign-waving and walked to ballot drop-off locations to observe the voting process.
A simultaneous Walk to the Box event was held in Hilo, where participants sign-waved at Waiola River State Park before heading to the County Building to drop off ballots.
Today, Walk to the Box will take place on Maui, followed by events on Molokai on Tuesday and Kauai on Nov. 1.
Our Kaiaulu Votes — a nonpartisan, civic engagement initiative focused on educating and encouraging youth about the importance of their voice — does not discuss politics or promote specific candidates or issues. Instead, the movement seeks to empower young people, particularly first-time voters, to understand their role in the democratic process and participate by voting.
In the Aug. 10 primary elections, 839,618 people registered to vote, but only 32.3% — or 271,345 — cast ballots.
Hutchison attributes Hawaii’s low voter turnout to the state’s smaller population and distinct cultural identity. She believes that many residents feel their voices won’t be heard or that they are separate from the mainland, so they think many policies resulting for the race for president won’t have a direct impact on the islands.
Prior to the Walk to the Box event, St. Andrew’s Schools senior Tatum Crockett, 17, admitted she hadn’t thought much about voting, especially since she considered herself too young.
“Now that I’m almost 18, I can see the significance of voting and how it affects our community,” Crockett said.
Crockett described the event as “very empowering,” especially seeing how many cars honked during the sign waving. She felt that their presence may have encouraged more people to vote and contributed to a larger impact.
“Just seeing a bunch of young people — people around my age and even younger — being able to go out there and encourage other people to vote, it was a very empowering sight, and I think it impacts the community and everybody around us,” Crockett said.
Crockett’s peer, Kamrynn Thoren-Moniz, an eighth-grader at St. Andrew’s Schools, was one of the younger participants at the Walk to the Box event.
Thoren-Moniz, 14, held up signs and waved at passing cars and people. One of the signs she held read, “Mauka to Makai, We Decide,” emphasizing the collective power of the community in the voting process.
While she felt a little disappointed that she couldn’t vote, watching her older peers and adults participate inspired her to do the same when she’s eligible.
“I think about it a lot because a lot of my family members don’t vote,” she said. “They don’t really have a say, they don’t really care. And I’m not allowed to vote, but I would like to.
“Although it’s a small vote and a small thing, I want to be a part of my community and choose my leader. I want to choose what will benefit me in the future because I don’t want my future to be bad. I want to succeed.”
The entire upper school of St. Andrew’s — grades seven through 12 — attended the rally, joined by around 40 students from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and about 10 from Mid-Pacific Institute. The event also included adults of all ages and a class of preschoolers from ‘Aha Punana Leo, creating a multigenerational gathering.
Thoren-Moniz expressed her excitement about seeing youth participate in activities like Walk to the Box.
“This is a really important thing,” she said. “Activities like this can help them think about the future and what they would want to do.”
She also noted that all schools should engage in events and campaigns like those promoted by Our Kaiaulu Votes, as they provide valuable learning experiences and inspire students to consider their future more seriously.
Crockett said when the time comes for her to be able to cast a vote, she will.
“Having my perspective being portrayed through a single ballot and put in a box is important,” Crockett said. “That single ballot is just more than a piece of paper — it’s my beliefs and how I view our nation and our community and what path it should take in the future.”
As vice president of St. Andrew’s, Crockett values democracy and sees its importance on various levels, from small-scale decisions within a school setting to contributing to local and national policies.
When she is eligible to vote, Crockett plans to consider topics like electing officials who will positively affect the economy, improve poverty rates, address homelessness and expand access to education, especially for younger children.
