The top 5 reasons not to vote

The top 5 reasons not to vote

1. Exercising the right and opportunity to help select those who control natural resource protection, social justice protections, and taxing authority would be irresponsible and only further empower the bad guys. #nottrue

2. My vote will not matter as my demographic represent the “fringe” and make up less than 20% of all voters. Most elections are won or lost by less than 10% so why should I get involved? #getreal

3. There is no one to vote for so why should I bother to get involved and either run for office myself or find someone else to run? Sounds like a lot of work. It’s much easier to stay home, complain about the system and brag about how I don’t vote and thus not part of the system. #winner #notwinner #loserbydefinition

4. The system in place is corrupt, and by not participating I will help defeat it, and replace it with something that does not require voting but which I cannot quite define or articulate at the moment. #what?

5. It’s easier to simply rage against the machine and not vote. Participating in government takes work and requires a long term commitment to take responsibility for the outcome. #nottrueyestrue

You can probably tell by now that it pains me to hear the “I don’t vote and I’m proud of it” crowd struggle to justify their position.

Many from across all Hawaii are increasingly involved in making positive change happen at the grassroots level.

I sincerely thank all for making the personal sacrifices of time, energy and money to make their voices heard, loud and clear — from Hilo to Hanalei.

Please now take that next step. Register to vote, find a candidate to support, and then throw your energy into making systemic change – from the inside.

We need both inside and outside strategies, and there is no reason that one should preclude the other.

Our government, whether we like it or not, controls via law, rule and regulation, the protection of our natural resources, the amount of personal freedom we enjoy and the amount of money we have in our pockets.

At the end of the day, government decides who are the haves, who are the have nots and who if anyone is in between.

The people we elect have the power to decide which of our mountain streams should live or die, to accept or not the chemical contamination of our drinking water and to allocate our public resources to foreign corporations or not.

A single legislator can make a difference, certainly at the state and county level. I have seen this up close and personal and know the power of a single vote, and a single strong voice willing to speak and vote truth to power.

Those individuals who do put people and the planet first and who are willing to serve in public office, need and deserve to have our support and our vote.

Please if you are not registered, I implore upon you to do so today. It’s easy, just visit olvr.hawaii.gov.

If you are already registered, please spread the message to family and friends, then find a candidate to help or run for office yourself.

We must engage the system, push-back against the bad and help lead and create a better government and a better planet for all.

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Gary Hooser formerly served in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kauai County Council and was former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. He serves presently in a volunteer capacity as board president of the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) and is executive director of the Pono Hawaii Initiative.