Ballots are already being mailed this week to registered voters throughout Hawaii, as most everyone will vote locally by mail from now on. Abraham Lincoln once said, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” Author/critic George Jean Nathan said, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.” Witty rationales and quotes go on and on, but not having the time, a ride, a clue, or a great deal of interest are all excuses which should disappear when 2020 primary ballots show up in mailboxes this week.
Look up the candidates, stream archived debates, check the issues; educate yourself on where candidates are coming from or planning to take us. If you can vote but opt not to vote, please don’t complain. If you’re worried about voter fraud, the facts (yes, real facts) show that it’s not been a factor historically. Oregon, which has used mail-only voting since 2000, found that in November, 2016, just .002% of votes cast were fraudulent- mostly by people who voted in two states. That’s two-thousandths of one percent.
The Oregon secretary of state (a former Republican state representative) said that suspicious cases amounted to one out of every 38,000 ballots! The Heritage Foundation has studied voter fraud for years. Their findings? In Hawaii, two voter fraud cases in 34 years- none via mail-in. Colorado? 14 cases in 13 years with 16-million votes cast- eight via mail-in ballot. Oregon had 15 cases in 19 years (14 via mail-in). Utah? One dubious vote out of 971,185 votes, according to a 2008 study. The facts simply do not warrant a groundswell of paranoia or concern about voter fraud via mail-in voting.
Chicago political pundits used to joke about “vote early and vote often”, but that was there, that was then, this is now. And that wasn’t mail-in, either. That tongue-in-cheek phrase has been around for 160 years, and yes, voting shenanigans have occurred. But don’t blame the mail-in process. There were more than 137-million American total votes cast in 2016, and not one single state reported a widespread voter fraud investigation. Not one.
Hawaii has a weak track record of voting in the 21st century. Apathy, stasis, a one party system- whatever. Make a difference; be heard. Has there been a time of greater stress and more confusion in recent history than July, 2020? Help decide your future as you take action on local leadership.
Think about it…