How I'm Voting in Honolulu, HI

Since the election is only 8 days away, this week I'm going to tell you how I'm voting and why I'm voting that way. Feel free to disagree with me, but please tell me why. If I'm wrong, I want to figure it out before I vote.

I voted for George W. Bush in 2000. What has happened is partially my fault. I don't want to screw up like that again.

So here goes.

I live in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am a first time registrant in this state. I do not have a Hawaii driver's license yet, but I have received my "You are registered and you vote here" card in the mail (after spending 30 minutes on the phone with the City & County of Honolulu Elections Office). When I go to vote early on Thursday, I plan to bring every form of identification that has both my name and my Hawaii address on it along with my CA drivers' license and my passport. I will not accept a provisional ballot.

So far, I have good reason to believe my vote will be counted.

Since I think I'm covered as far as registration is concerned, I have turned my attention to how I'm going to vote. Let's start with The Big Show.

President of the United States: Barack Obama (D) or John McCain (R)

Barack Obama.



Duh. This choice is obvious in every way I can think of.

Con Con (Constitutional Convention)

The Bush administration changed the rules. That is the biggest crime they have committed against the United States. They got to start their wars by changing the rules with the Patriot Act. They got the Justice Department to ignore their crimes by making sure all the protectors of the rules were their guys. They made sure no one could ruin the war-profiteering bonanza in Iraq by granting blanket immunity and investigating themselves. They stole elections with an army of lawyers and a pocketed Supreme Court. They jacked even more of our money by legislating The Bailout (what they are planning to do with the money, we don’t yet know).

Con Con is the ballot measure that will let us decide whether or not to allow a constitutional convention to take place in the state of Hawaii. They want us to open the door for the state rules to be changed.

The supporters are the key to this one for me. Willie Lees, the chair of the Hawaii Republican Party, has written in favor of Con Con. Our Republican Governor Linda Lingle, who jumped at the chance to welcome George W. Bush and Dick Cheney into our state in 2004, is hopeful to have her "desires to be heard and lead to their possible incorporation into our constitution." James Aiona is the Lieutenant Governor and is in charge of our elections under Bush's new laws (we have no Secretary of State position which is the new election boss in most of the other states). He was appointed by George W. Bush in 2002 and he is excited about Con Con.

Giving any Bush partners the power to change the rules is a stupid thing to do.

I'm voting no.

Age Qualification for Governor
The proposal is to change the age requirement for who want to run for Governor of Hawaii. You currently have to be 30 years old. If we vote 'yes', we can change that to 25.

I'm all for it. I am 26. I'm educated with a bachelor's degree. My boyfriend has his masters. My classmates now have kids. Some of those kids are in school now. I pay more attention to the news than most older people I know.

I'm not qualified to run for Governor because I have very little understanding of what the position entails. But if that were my goal and had I been working towards it for the last 26 years, I think I'm old enough to have the knowledge to do the job well.

Plus, it's our futures that are withering away right now. We younger people need to grow up and start getting our country back on track. For every 25-29 year old voted in, that is one more baby boomer/serious geezer that steps aside. It's about time to tell the old folks who have been driving under the influence of Milton Friedman that their vision and reflexes are fading and they need to get used to the passenger seat. It's for everyone's safety.

The Rail


I don't have a car and I live in the middle of Waikiki. I really don't need a car because everything I need is within walking distance and there is a decent bus system. But the buses are often full, especially in the rush hours. They are also rarely on time because they get stuck in traffic just like the rest of the cars.

The proposal being frantically squawked about is an elevated light rail system that will run from basically the far side of Pearl Harbor to Diamondhead (when all phases are complete) if it is approved. It will reduce the number of cars on the road, create 11,000 construction jobs, reduce greenhouse gases, reduce our need for oil, and make getting around the biggest city in Hawaii a whole hell of a lot easier.

Of course I'm voting yes.

Honolulu Mayor: Ann Kobayashi or Mayor Mufi Hannemann

This one is still up in the air, but I'm leaning toward incumbent Mayor Mufi Hannemann. The candidates will debate tomorrow night and that is when I will make up my mind.

Mufi Hannemann has served in the Bush administration. That is always a bad thing to have on a resume when you are applying for a job with me. However, the rail is his pet project. He wants to make this city bike friendly. He has already gotten TheBus to start using hybrid buses. These moves are deal makers.

Ann Kobayashi, on the other hand, is against the rail, and I do not believe that she will move forward with it even if we voters overwhelming vote in favor.

Investing in green lifestyles and technology is our clearest path back towards greatness. It's important enough that I might be able to forgive Mufi Hannemann's Bush administration connection. I'll decide tomorrow, but unless Ann Kobayashi blows me a way, I think the current Mayor will have my vote.

House of Representatives: Neil Abercrombie (D) or Steven Tataii (R)


Neil Abercrombie is not a person I'm proud to call my Congressman. He voted for giving the Bush administration a stay out of jail free card with the FISA bill earlier this year. He voted recently for "the bailout". He refused to answer simple questions for Project Vote Smart. I'd like to have a better Congressman.

But Steven Tataii is a Republican. He wants to keep us in Iraq. He's into nuclear. He supports intervening in other countries' affairs all over the world. He supports the Bush doctrine of preemptive strikes. He wants more domestic spying. He wants to allow workplace discrimination of gays.

I got all of that from the survey he filled out for Project Vote Smart. Thank you, Steven Tataii for your candor and honesty, but I just can't vote for you.

Neil Abercrombie. You suck. But you are the least horrible option.

Congratulations.

And The Rest...



If there are any more items that will appear on the ballot here in Honolulu, I don't know about them. This is because we are not provided with sample ballots and I couldn't find one on the internet. That is stupid.

If, when I am in the polling booth, there are items on the ballot that I didn't research, I will be leaving those sections blank. I just won't know enough to be able to make a decision.

So that's how I'm voting.

8 more days.