Letters for Sunday — January 23, 2005

• Voter participation jeopardy: Action may turn to apathy

Voter participation jeopardy: Action may turn to apathy

A front page headline “Hawai‘i voter turnout lowest in nation” appeared January 16 in The Garden Island, and though I certainly agree with state chief elections officer, Dwayne Yoshina, that the national figures were skewed, low voter turnout is a growing national problem. A primary endeavor of the League of Women Voters is to encourage active voter participation, and the League on Kaua‘i takes some pride in our 68.7 per cent turnout of registered voters.

If a candidate received a majority of votes, but was not allowed to take office, it would shake voter confidence in the process. If an amendment to our County Charter received enough votes to pass, but was not enacted, that too would shake voter confidence. This does not encourage future participation, and action turns to apathy.

In the 2004 Kaua‘i General Election a majority of voters, 13,062, voted “yes” on a Kaua‘i residential property tax reform amendment to the Charter, known as the Ohana Kauai amendment. If the will of the majority who chose to vote is not followed, then the electorate will be dispirited with the process, and may abandon future participation.

Whether you agree with the majority of voters or not, democracy delayed is democracy denied. Will this Kaua‘i residential home owner property tax amendment go into effect on July 1 of this year? If not, then the will of the majority that chose to vote won’t be followed.

Carol Bain

League of Women Voters